The Runaway Marauder Part II
by neelie415
Summary: After successfully completing her fifth year at Hogwarts and being adopted by the Potters, Kat must now struggle through her sixth year. But things are starting to heat up both at school and outside of it. More people are going missing and a few are found dead as whispers of a man who calls himself Lord Voldemort begin to swirl around.
1. Summertime

_**This is the first chapter of the second part of The Runaway Marauder. Woo! I made it to a second story, awesome! For now, the title of this particular story with continue to be The Runaway Marauder Part II until I can think up another, better title. If anyone has any ideas, I would be interested in hearing them! But in the meantime, enjoy! :)**_

_Knock, knock, knock! _"C'mon, wake up!" _Tap, tap, tap! _"If you don't get up I'll blow your door down! I've got a surprise for you!"

Kat Potter groaned and rolled over in bed. She had just been having a weird dream with giants and unicorns. "Alright, James, I'm up!" She cast the bed sheets aside and looked blearily around her room for her dressing gown. Her new adoptive mother had bought her all new clothes when Kat got home from Hogwarts and Kat still couldn't remember where she stored all of them.

Kat's life had taken an interesting turn just under a year ago. Her birth parents had shunted her to the side when her younger brother, Aiden was born. The whole family was crazy pure-blood minded wizards who only valued males. So, when they finally got a son, they packed Kat off to the dank basement beneath the house with only their house elf, Iggy for company. During her imprisonment, Iggy had negotiated certain treats for Kat, which included being given a wand. While Aiden went off to Hogwarts when he was eleven, Kat stayed behind. As he grew older, she started teaching herself magic out of his old school books and the old spell books her parents had stuffed in the basement. At fifteen, she had finally had enough. She convinced Iggy to negotiate an outing on the moor for the pair of them and Kat made a run for it. For two weeks, she was on the run, breaking in to Muggle and wizard homes alike for food, bathing, and, on one occasion, new shoes. One day, she had stopped at a house for a shower, and after having to out her dirty clothes back on her clean body, she had opened the bathroom door and there was a boy standing there. James Potter brought her before his parents and, against all odds, the two had allowed Kat to remain with them for the rest of the summer and she had finally gotten a letter from Hogwarts! Mr. and Mrs. Potter officially adopted her later in the school year and Kat became close friends with James' buddies, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Despite a few crazy incidents, Kat's first year ever at Hogwarts had gone better than she could have possibly imagined. At the end of the school year, Sirius had come home with James and Kat after running away from his own parents.

The first few weeks of the summer passed with Kat, Sirius, and James running all around the Potters' large estate. James taught Kat how to play a few songs on his piano and Remus and Peter came over for a weekend for all of them to celebrate their sixteenth birthdays.

"With one big party like this, we won't have to worry about it during the year," explained James when Kat asked him why they were having the party.

After Remus and Peter went back home, James had started complaining that it was too quite. To compensate, he and Sirius began flying around the garden on their brooms, singing. James also complained about Kat refusing to fly.

"I've never been on a broom before! I'm going to fall off the second you try and put me on one!" she had exclaimed while Sirius snorted with laughter.

"That's why you have to let me teach you! For all we know, you could be a really spectacular Quidditch player!"

Kat and Sirius had snickered over that for the rest of the day. When James had tried to broach the subject again at dinner the night before, Kat retorted with, "James, I don't even have a broom to use."

"Aha! Just you wait!"

So Kat had a pretty good idea about why James was knocking on her door so early in the morning. She finally located her dressing gown hanging off of her bureau and slipped it on. She shuffled slowly over to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. Sure enough, James was standing in the hall, bold as brass, holding a broomstick and grinning. Sirius was on the other side of him, smirking and holding his own Nimbus over his shoulder.

"Look at what Dad scrounged up!" said James excitedly.

"He got me a broom?" She took it from James' upheld hands. It had slight wear to it, with a few of the twigs sticking out and the handle was a bit dull compared to Sirius' glossy Nimbus, but Kat thought that it was beautiful. _Cleansweep _was written in faded gold on the handle.

"Of course he didn't get you a broom!" said James. "Sirius and I found it in the basement last night."

"Oh." The basement was the one room in her new house that Kat had yet to explore. The Potters were quite wealthy, so their house was huge; filled with all sorts of neat and interesting rooms to explore. Kat had steered clear of the basement however. Given her experience with them, this wasn't too surprising.

"Well come on, get dressed. We're going to teach you how to fly today," said Sirius.

Kat retreated back into her room to change out of her pajamas and soon they were all out in the garden. The Potters lived in a relatively remote part of the country so they did not have to worry about Muggles seeing them flying around. Kat rather nervously leaned against her broom while Sirius took off and started zooming around.

"Right," James was saying. Kat wrenched her eyes off Sirius to anxiously watch James. "The first thing we have to do is mount your broom." He showed Kat the proper way to sit astride the broomstick and demonstrated the proper grip. "Now, all you have to do is kick off the ground, hard, and you'll be flying!"

"Wait, James. I don't think I'm ready—" But James had kicked off and was hovering above her head. Kat screwed up her courage, closed her eyes, and kicked off the ground.

The effect was immediate. She felt herself rising up in the air and a cool breeze blew through her long hair. She opened her eyes and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that she was no longer on the ground. James demonstrated how to rise higher, how to turn, and how to stop, and soon enough, Kat was zooming through the air just like her brother and Sirius. She had never felt so free! Not even when she found out that she was going to go to Hogwarts! She knew that this was something that she loved and wanted to do every day. "Look at you!" shouted James. Kat heard Sirius whistle, but she ignored both of them. She had a giant grin on her face and was busy closely maneuvering around the house. She liked the feeling of the wind on her face and blowing through her hair.

Eventually, they all came back to the ground and dismounted. James gave Kat a bear hug. "I can't believe my sissy can fly so well!"

Kat scowled and punched him in the arm. "Don't call me that." Her scowl melted away and was replaced by a grin. "That was wonderful."

"Will you let us teach you how to play Quidditch now?" teased Sirius.

Kat laughed. "Sure! As long as I get to fly more!"

"'As long as I get to fly more' she says. What does she think we play Quidditch on, llamas?" James said sarcastically.

"But before we start, let's get some food. I'm starving!" Kat led the way back up to the house. The parents were sitting at the kitchen table eating toast and drinking tea when the trio walked in.

"Mum, Dad, you won't believe what just happened!" Kat let James launch into his story while she spread marmalade on a piece of toast.

Mrs. Potter thought that it was wonderful while Mr. Potter thought that it was hilarious. He was right on with James in being amazed that Kat hadn't wanted to ride a broomstick. They spent the rest of the day chatting away happily about flying. The next day, James and Sirius introduced Kat to the wonderful game of Quidditch. She had been to the matches at school, but it was nothing compared to playing the game herself. Mr. Potter bewitched a couple of balls to fly around, just like bludgers. They soon discovered, however, that Kat made an excellent Keeper. No matter which direction James or Sirius flew, she caught nearly every attempt the made at scoring. They spent whole days with just the three of them flying and throwing the balls at one another. Sometimes Mr. Potter would join in on the game.

"You should try out for the team this year," James said after Kat performed a particularly impressive save. "Joseph Macabey was our Keeper, but he graduated. We could use you."

"I don't know, James. Am I really that good?" said Kat doubtfully.

"You're amazing! You've got some serious natural talent!"

"Thanks." Kat smiled.

The rest of the summer holidays flew by after that. Soon, Kat began to panic about all of the homework that she hadn't started yet and began to annoy Sirius by insisting that he and James start their summer assignments.

"Relax, we have loads of time!"

Kat received an owl from Lily asking if she would like to visit for a few days. After discussing it over dinner, it was decided that Kat would spend the last week of the holidays with Lily. She was going to use Floo Powder to travel to the Evans' in Cambridge.

"That's going to be so sad!" moaned James. "I won't get to see you until we're both at Platform nine-and-three-quarters! You have to tell me everything Lily says about me," he added in a more serious tone. "I'm not quite sure that I believe your whole 'prediction' stuff." It was true. Since Kat had spewed that Lily and James would start dating in their seventh year she hadn't really had anything else to say. But Kat reassured James that she would keep an ear open for him.

The day before Kat left for the Evans' household, their O.W.L.'s arrived. She was eating breakfast in the kitchen when three large screech owls swooped in through the open window. The envelopes they were clutching were much thicker than the envelope she had received last year from Hogwarts and her heart skipped a beat.

"JAMES, SIRIUS, THEY'RE HERE!" she squawked up at the boys. They came thundering into the kitchen a few moments later. Together they stared at the owls.

"Oh, I've failed everything. I know I have!" Kat wailed and put her hands over her eyes.

Sirius laughed. "Don't be ridiculous." He detached the letters from the owls which took off as soon as they were relieved of their burden. Sirius slowly handed Kat her letter and James his. "On the count of three?" James and Kat nodded.

"One."

"Two," said James.

"Three!" said Kat.

She mentally crossed her fingers and ripped the envelope open. She heard a whoop from James and a loud exhale from Sirius before she read her results. Unbelievably…amazingly…she had passed all of her exams! She'd even received an O in Charms and Potions! The rest of her classes she got E's in except for History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts (A's in both). She let out a squeal of delight and pulled James and Sirius into a huge hug. "I passed I passed I passed!" She chanted as she jumped up in down. James and Sirius joined in her celebration.

The rest of the day went by with them all celebrating their results. James had received an O Transfiguration (_No surprise there,_ Kat thought.) and Defense Against the Dark Arts and E's in everything else. Sirius had received the exact same scores. Kat felt as though she was surrounded by an impenetrable bubble. Now that she was definitely going back to Hogwarts with passing grades and possibly trying out for the Quidditch team, Kat was really looking forward to the school year starting.

She had her trunk packed with all of her school things and Mrs. Potter ensured her that James would be bringing Kat's new textbooks with him on the train (she was going shopping tomorrow, when Kat would already be at Lily's house). After a somewhat awkward good-bye (James pretended to cry and Sirius actually voluntarily gave her a hug), Kat headed for the fireplace. Following instructions from Mr. Potter, Kat took a handful of powder, stepped into the fireplace with her trunk and Mr. Snowy, and cried Lily's address.

Stepping out onto a carpet a few minutes later, Kat decided that she did not like traveling by Floo Powder. A strong hug that nearly knocked her over did nothing to diminish the overwhelming sense of nausea she had.

"It's so good to see you!" She heard Lily's voice exclaim. "Did you get your O.W.L.'s back yet?"

"Yeah, I passed all of them," Kat said, blinking the soot out of her eyes. She looked around to see a small sitting room with pictures all along the walls (not moving of course, Lily was a Muggle-Born) and pink squishy armchairs. A tall thin woman with auburn hair was smiling at Kat and a short man with brown hair and Lily's green eyes stepped forward.

"Welcome to our home, Miss Potter. I'm Miles," he said by way of greeting, grasping Kat's hand and shaking it firmly. "And this is my wife, Chelsea." The woman smiled and said hello.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Evans, I'm Kat."

"Oh please, call us Miles and Chelsea," said Mr. Evans.

"Erm, alright," said Kat.

"Follow me, I'll show you where to put your stuff," said Lily, leading Kat out of the sitting room, through a small kitchen, and up a narrow staircase. She took the second door on the left and Kat knew at once that they were in Lily's room. There were Gryffindor banners streaming from the ceiling along with several moving pictures of Lily, Eileen, Khristine, and Arabella. Kat even saw one that she was in, though she didn't remember taking the picture. "You can stick your trunk over there, in the corner," Lily said, pointing to where her own trunk way lying, still half packed from last year.

Once all of Kat's stuff was sufficiently stowed away and Mr. Snowy was safely on Lily's dresser, Lily plopped down on her large bed and signaled Kat to do the same. "My sister, Petunia isn't here," Lily made a face. "She's staying with a friend this week so she doesn't have to meet you."

"Oh," Kat said awkwardly.

"Don't take it personally."

The girls spent the rest of the day catching up on what they had done over the summer. Lily and her family had gone to Rome and seen all of the ruins. "You won't _believe_ some of the things these ancient wizards thought up! Mum and Dad were so amazed, and so was I!" Lily was delighted to hear about Kat's prowess on a broom and even more excited when Kat mentioned that she might try out for the Quidditch team. Lily got O's on all of her exams and was supremely proud of Kat for receiving O's in Charms and Potions. "Just think of what Professor Slughorn is going to say!"

Lily's parents were a pleasant lot. They gave Lily a lot of free reign to do what she pleased, but they were also interested in Kat. "We've heard so much about you!" Kat and Lily spent most of their time walking around Cambridge so Kat could explore. They chatted about everything under the sun, but, as it always seems to happen, the conversation turned to boys.

"I still can't believe that you can stand to live with Potter," Lily said on the last day of August. Their trunks were completely packed and they were lounging around in the neighborhood park on the swing set before going home for dinner.

"He really isn't all that bad."

"No, I suppose not," Lily mused. Kat was surprised, but decided not to interrupt—Lily seemed like she wanted to say something.

"If he would just relax and act like a normal human being, I might be able to deal with him," she was saying. She was swinging rather lazily and her eyes were fixed on some distant point in the air. "And if he wasn't such a pigheaded idiot and stopped being so horrible to Sev."

"Who's Sev?"

Lily laughed. "You've met him, Kat. Severus Snape."

"Oh, that's right. You two are friends."

Lily nodded. "That's right. He lives not too far from here. He kept me from panicking too much when I found out that I was a witch and helped me through my first few years at Hogwarts. But we've been growing further apart recently…"

"Well, he's in Slytherin," said Kat.

"But that doesn't mean that he's bad," said Lily hotly.

Kat decided to let the matter drop. Lily stayed silent as well, it seemed as though she was done talking about boys for the day. They returned to the house for a nice farewell dinner in which Miss Chelsea had made a special pudding for Lily.

"I'm so proud of my baby for going to Hogwarts!" she said. The pudding was delicious.

They left for London early the next morning—Kat's first ever car ride. They made it to King's Cross Station without too much trouble and soon had their entire luggage loaded on to two trolleys. Kat gave Mr. Miles and Miss Chelsea a thank-you hug and stepped through the barrier. A few seconds later, Lily appeared beside her. Together, they navigated their way through the crowd of students and families, half of whom were in wizard robes and the other half in Muggle dress. They spotted Eileen talking with a man who appeared to be her father and passed Khristine (speaking in very fast Russian to her parents) on their way to board the train. Kat gasped as someone grabbed her from behind.

"Gotcha!" It was James. He practically smothered her in his embrace before letting her go. "How was your visit?" He asked, looking to where Lily had just been standing, but she was gone.

"It was really nice," Kat said as James ignored her and stared around looking for Lily. Kat sighed, put Mr. Snowy's cage under her arm, and dragged her trunk aboard the train. James followed suit. They found the compartment that Sirius was already occupying and stowed their luggage away.

"Let's go say bye to Mum and Dad before the train leaves," James said.

They headed back out to the platform for a hurried farewell before the train whistle blew. They quickly hopped back on to the train and waved as the train pulled out from the platform. Kat was going back! Smiling, she led the way back to the compartment where they met up with Peter and Remus.

Things quickly got back into the old rhythm of things. They played Exploding Snap and chatted away about all the things they had done over the summer holidays. Remus had gotten O's in all of his O.W.L.'s while Peter had gotten A's in all of them except for an E in Defense Against the Dark Arts. When the witch who pushed the trolley cart arrived, they bought an assortment of Cauldron Cakes, licorice wands, chocolate frogs, peppermint toads, and, of course, Bertie Bot's Every Flavor Beans. They dared each other to eat the funny grey or brown ones and hooted uproariously when Sirius got an earwax flavored one. They pulled on their robes as the light faded and they felt the train slowing down.

When the train pulled in to the station, Kat said good-bye to Mr. Snowy and followed the boys to the horseless carriages. They could hear Hagrid booming away, calling all the first years toward him as they clambered up in to the carriages. Kat's eyes were wide as the carriages started moving without anything pulling them. The trip up to the castle was quick and soon Kat was gazing fondly at Hogwarts, with all of its many turrets and corridors lit up. At the gates, they climbed out of the carriages, crossed the giant Entrance Hall, and made their way into the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was looking as splendid as always, with thousands of candles burning and the ceiling revealing a breath-taking, starry night sky. The noise in the Hall grew louder as the rest of the school filtered in from the carriages and took their seats at their House tables. The Marauders settled on benches in the middle of the Gryffindor table. Soon enough, Professor McGonagall was herding the new first years up the center of the Hall to where the Sorting Hat sat on its stool. A large rip near the brim opened and it started singing. Kat didn't really listen to what it was saying; she was too busy thinking about how hungry she was. When the sorting started, she clapped along with the rest of the Gryffindors as the youngsters joined their table. She could hardly sit still when Professor Dumbledore rose to say a few words.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts!" he began, raising his arms wide as if he were embracing them all. "Now let's get down to feasting!"

There was a gasp as all of the plates and dishes upon the tables filled with delicious food. Turkey, roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, meat pies, steak and kidney pie, pitchers of pumpkin juice, bowls of chips, boats of gravy, and more. Kat had almost forgotten about the amazing cooking that the house elves down in the kitchens did. And, as always, just when she thought that she could not stuff away any more, the desserts appeared. James gave a loud belch and sat back, sighing, after completing a massive plate of custard. Kat was actually starting to fall asleep on Sirius' shoulder when Professor Dumbledore stood up again.

"Before you go to bed, I have an announcement. Please welcome Professor Prewett, who will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year." There was a round of applause as people took in the handsome, capable looking man who had stood up at the end of the high table. Once the applause had died down, Dumbledore made them all sing the school song ("Hogwarts, Hogwarts hog warty warty Hogwarts teach us something please…") and then released them to bed.

Kat wasn't quite sure how she managed to shuffle all the way up to the Gryffindor common room (she had a nagging feeling that someone might have actually had to carry her at one point, or was that someone lifting her out of the trick stair on the staircase…?) but eventually she made it up to her bed. All of her belongings were stowed away and Mr. Snowy was sitting on her pillow with his little pink nose twitching. Kat smiled at him and scooped him up, depositing him on the extra pillow by the foot of her bunk. She slipped out of her robe and in to her pajamas and was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She had a strange dream about a man with a purple turban and a mirror that showed her wrapped up in the arms of a man with long dark hair. There was a little boy in it as well. A boy with a lightening shaped scar on his forehead who wore glasses just like James. When she woke up the next morning though, she couldn't remember it.

_Alright, does anybody remember who the Prewetts are? Voldemort wiped out all of them in the first war, so I thought it would be interesting if Dumbledore had invited one of the "most powerful" members of the Order (before it really was the Order) to be a teacher at Hogwarts. This year should be interesting what with that and Kat's continued dreams/visions. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

_~neelie_


	2. Quidditch

_**Sorry it took me so long to update with this second chapter! I was having computer issues but I got everything figured out! It just gave me an excuse to make this chapter even longer! Enjoy!**_

* * *

Kat woke with a start the next morning. It took her a while to remember where she was but the thick curtains hanging around her bed quickly told her that she was at Hogwarts. She pushed back the curtains and winced as the light from the window came pouring in. By the slow breathing she heard around the room, she figured that she was the only one awake. She yawned widely and stretched. She had been having a pretty intense dream about playing Quidditch and the reason that she had woken up was because, in her dream, she had been knocked off her broom and crashed into one of the goal posts. _I hope that isn't foreshadowing anything, _thought Kat. She slipped on her robes, slipped Mr. Snowy a carrot, and quietly slipped out of the dormitory.

She climbed down the tower stairs and entered the common room. A tall, black seventh year boy named Kingsley was sitting in front of the fire when she entered and a small, ginger second year girl was reading a book in the corner. Other than them, the common room was empty. Kat gave Kingsley a wide berth (he was known to be exceptionally good at non-verbal spells and made Kat extremely nervous) and shuffled out of the common room. Luckily, Kingsley showed no interest in her whatsoever and Kat made it out into the corridor without any confrontation. Taking a deep breath of the familiar, musty castle smell, Kat marched down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

There were only a few students in the Hall for breakfast. Kat munched on sausage and toast while it gradually filled up. Peter and Sirius showed up about ten minutes after she did and they sat happily on a bench next to her.

"Are you ready for our first day back, Kat?" asked Peter.

Kat nodded. "I still can't believe I passed all of my exams!"

"Me too! I thought for sure—"

"Oh, hush, both of you," said Sirius. He was pouring ketchup onto his sausages. "As if me or James would let you fail! And what would Moony've done? Na, we had you guys covered."

Kat scowled a bit, but found that she couldn't be mad at him this morning. It was their first day back and she was going to try her hardest to enjoy it! She waved happily at Lily and Eileen when they walked by and even smiled at Snape. He looked at her like she was something slimy under a rock and sped past. Sirius' lip curled, but he calmed down once Snape had gone by.

James and Remus showed up just as Professor McGonagall was passing out schedules. James had his glasses pushed up on top of his head so all of his hair was sticking out even crazier than usual. He scratched the tip of his nose and his glasses slid back onto his face so he could read his schedule.

"We got lucky! We don't have to deal with Slughorn until Wednesday!"

"And looks like we get to start every Monday with Herbology…" Peter said, rather gloomily. "That means we'll be gross and covered in dirt all day."

"That's what showers are for Pete!" Sirius chimed.

"And we don't have Professor Prewett until this afternoon," Kat sighed, glancing at the parchment McGonagall had just handed her.

"What's the matter, Kat? Is that too long of a wait for the new handsome professor?" James said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kat flushed slightly. "Don't be ridiculous."

After breakfast, they joined the other Sixth Year Gryffindors on their trek down to the green houses. Professor Sprout met them all there happily and soon they were busy replanting last year's Fanged Geraniums. Then, smelling strongly of dragon dung, they trooped back up into Gryffindor Tower for a quick wash before Defense Against the Dark Arts. They chatted excitedly about their new teacher once they heard one of the third years exclaim "He's _amazing_!"

The classroom was brightly lit with half of the windows thrown open so there was a pleasant cross-breeze flowing through. The desks were all pushed against the back wall to leave a wide open space in the center of the room. Their fellow Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were milling about whispering in excited voices. There was a bang and the door to Professor Prewett's office flew open. Prewett stood, grinning at the lot of them with his red hair flaming shining in the sunlight.

"Hello, everybody!" He said cheerfully.

"Hello, Professor Prewett," the class chimed back.

"My name is Gideon Prewett and I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I understand that there was an unfortunate occurrence between your last teacher in this class and a student—"

"'Unfortunate occurrence? She was almost _drained_," said James.

Prewett flinched slightly. "I have been instructed not to discuss the particulars of the…er...issue, Mr.-?"

"Potter, Professor," said James.

"But on to a much more comfortable topic! Let's talk about hexing each other."

Kat's focus shifted from Professor Prewett to her peers. She didn't like the sound of that much. The Ravenclaws here were the smartest in the school and all of the Gryffindors there really knew their stuff. She hoped that she was paired up with Peter if that was what it came down to…

"We're going to start something new today, something that will certainly come in handy for any sort of foolishness that you want to accomplish during your remaining time here at Hogwarts," Professor Prewett said with a grin. He descended the stairs from his office and moved into the center of the room. Kat looked next to her and saw that James and Sirius were fixated on every word that Prewett was saying. "We'll be practicing non-verbal spells."

There was an outburst of excited chatter. Professor Prewett waved a hand for silence. "I know some of you have been looking forward to this for a while, so why not get started right away? Mr. Potter, if you would be so kind as to step forward." Grinning widely, James stepped into the center of the room with Professor Prewett and pulled his wand out from his waistband. "Now I want you to disarm me, Mr. Potter, but without saying the incantation. Do you think you can do that for me?"

James raised an eyebrow. "I got it, Professor."

Prewett swept his hair out of his face and smiled. Kat heard several of the girls titter. He really was quite handsome… "Just shout the incantation in your mind…" he was saying.

James shot a glance over his shoulder, saw Kat and Sirius and smirked. Then he turned toward Professor Prewett…pointed his wand and…nothing happened. After several awkward seconds, Prewett spread his arms wide.

"What's the matter, Mr. Potter? Can't do it?" Sirius and Kat sniggered loudly and even Remus smiled. James' hair seemed to deflate along with his confidence. "Don't be too mean over there! You're going to be doing the same thing! I want to see some _dueling_!"

Professor Prewett then paired everyone up (unfortunately, he put Kat with Sirius) and soon everyone was awkwardly pointing their wands with nothing happening. Peter—who was teamed up with Remus—had his face screwed up so hard for concentration that he was turning purple, while Kat pointed her wand rather nervously at Sirius. Naturally, nothing happened for any of the students and Professor Prewett patrolled through the pairs. James was paired up with Lily and was trying simultaneously to disarm her and not disarm her. Several people were made fun of by Professor Prewett for whispering _Expelliarmus _under their breath, and for homework they were all assigned to practice non-verbal spells.

"We'll be dueling a lot this year, and I want to see sparks but hear nothing!" Prewett said as they left his class.

James was in a surly mood at lunch. He didn't say much, but stared moodily at his food. When Sirius started to tease him about embarrassing himself in front of the entire class, James glared at him. Kat was rather surprised; she had never seen James so angry except for when he was dealing with Snape or Aiden.

"Don't worry about it, mate," said Remus calmly. "None of us got it either, and neither did anyone from Ravenclaw. It was our first time and we have to work on it."

James didn't respond, but after that his mood did seem to improve. After they finished eating they headed back up to the common room where they saw something that improved James' mood even more. A small crowd was packed in front of the bulletin board. Since Kat was the smallest and skinniest of the group, she shouldered her way through to the front, accidently knocking a first year boy to the floor. She apologized and tried to help him up, but the small boy flushed scarlet and fled. Confused, Kat turned to look at the board again. Amelia Bishop, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain had posted that tryouts were scheduled for that Saturday. Kat shoved her way back through the small crowd and told the guys. James let out a whoop when she announced what all the hubbub was about.

"You'll try out for the team, right Kat?" He asked happily, his mood doing a complete one-eighty. "It'll be so much fun!"

Kat looked from James' excited face to Sirius' nonchalant face to Peter and Remus' happy faces. When Sirius gave a slight smile, Kat answered. "Of course I'll try out for the team!"

Kat began to regret her rash decision over the rest of the week. James was bothering her incessantly about the tryouts and even dragged her away from dinner early to practice. She had to admit that it was a pretty good setup since James was a Chaser and she was a Keeper, but he was beginning to interfere with her studies. Even though it was only their first week back, all of their teachers seemed to be assigning way more homework this year than they had last year, and, it was way more difficult. Professor Prewett was not the only one who wanted them working on non-verbal spells, now they were expected to practice for Transfiguration and Charms. The plants in Herbology were become more worrisome (Peter was attacked by a strange, orange colored bush during one class period), and Professor Slughorn had them researching Everlasting Elixirs. And on top of it all, Kat also had to deal with Lily.

Since they had spent the last week of the summer holidays together, Lily seemed to think that she needed to tell Kat everything. She let Kat know how her classes had gone, specific things that the other girls had said to her, and other pointless things. Since Kat had never really had a best girlfriend before, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Lily's favorite thing to do, however, was talk about James. Since their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, she had hardly ceased talking about him.

"Did you see the way he was trying so hard _not_ to disarm me? I thought that was really stupid and pigheaded. Why should he worry about disarming me? But then it was also kind of nice, you know? It was like he didn't want to hurt me or something…I don't know. Kat, what do you think?"

"Er…"

"Because I don't really know what that's supposed to mean or what I'm supposed to do…"

Lily would continue like this for a while, whether they were walking to class together, sitting by the lake, on their way to the bathroom, or lounging about in the common room. Kat had learned to just smile, nod, or make little interjections like "Oh, yeah" and "Seriously." She knew that James would want to know that Lily kept talking about him (especially since James seemed to have remembered Kat predicting that he and Lily would begin dating soon) and had hardly stopped talking about her, but she was too tuckered out from the pair of them.

When Saturday dawned, Kat woke up feeling nervous. She hadn't flown in front of anyone except James, Sirius, and her father, and she wasn't sure how the Gryffindors who showed up at tryouts would react. Lily and Eileen were the only ones awake in the dorm when she woke up, and they both smiled encouragingly at her.

"I'll be at tryouts today, Kat," whispered Lily as they quietly left the room together, Eileen and Kat clutching their brooms.

"You're going out for Keeper, right?" asked Eileen. Kat nodded. "I heard Sirius and James talking about it. I'll be going out for Chaser again," she said cheerfully. She certainly had the proper build for it—she was tall and athletic, where Kat was small and skinny. "I still don't see how you aren't a good Seeker, but I guess we'll see."

The rest of the Quidditch team hopefuls were in the Great Hall eating breakfast when Kat, Eileen, and Lily arrived. James was sitting with Sirius and Amelia Bishop. Kat and the girls joined them.

"Are you trying out for the team too, Sirius?" Eileen asked, spreading cream cheese on a bagel.

"Na, I'm just here to support Kat and James," said Sirius. "Make sure you eat something," he added, seeing Kat eyeing the food rather queasily.

"I feel sick. I don't think I can eat anything."

"Try at least some toast, Kat," said Amelia. She was a small, dark headed girl with bright blue eyes and played Seeker for the team. "You'll be grateful you did later when you're up on your broom."

In the end, Kat nibbled on some toast and swallowed a few pieces of bacon. Amelia stood up and announced that it was time to begin and the Gryffindors headed out to the Qudditch pitch. Kat had only been up in the stands, but that was nothing compared to actually stepping out onto the field. The stands soared up around the bright green field and the goal posts looked way larger and more intimidating from ground level than they did from stand level. Amelia organized the hopefuls into groups. Since she, James, and Eileen were the only returning members, she split the hopefuls into three groups and assigned James and Eileen one each. She took the third group for herself.

First, Amelia tested out how well they could fly. A pair of second year girls were sent off the pitch when they asked how they were supposed to get the broom off the ground, and a third year was taken to the hospital wing when his crashed straight into one of the poles supporting the stands. After that, they were categorized by what position they were trying out for.

Kat was one of six people trying out for Keeper, and all of them were significantly bigger than she was and all but one were boys. For her tryout, Kat had to hover in front of the goal posts and block the shots that were thrown at her. She dove and shot up and shot sideways and zigzagged and caught and punched and blocked the quaffle and when she touched back down on the ground, she felt elated. She could hear Lily cheering for her up in the stands and even heard Sirius whistle. James landed beside her and wrapped her in a bear hug.

"That was bloody brilliant! You even blocked my trick shot!" He shouted in her ear.

Of the others trying out for Keeper, only a fourth year boy named Zachary Fletcher did as well as her and Amelia was thrilled with their performances.

"I'll post the new team assignments on the bulletin board tomorrow morning!" Amelia announced when all of the tryouts were complete.

Exhausted, Kat followed James out of the stadium and back up to the school. They found Lily and Sirius waiting for them.

"Kat, you were amazing!" Lily squealed, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thanks, Lil."

"Not too bad, Kat," Sirius said, throwing his arm across her shoulder and squeezing it.

"Hey, what about me? I tried out too!" said James.

"Oh, you did fine, mate," said Sirius. James smiled and looked at Lily, but quickly looked away. Lily actually smiled. Kat watched the exchange with interest.

"You did a good job too, Potter," Lily said before excusing herself and heading up into the castle alone.

James stared after her for a while before letting out a loud whoop and jumping in the air. "Did you hear that?" he shouted, excitedly. "Lily Evans said that I did a good job!" James practically flew up the front steps, he was so excited. Kat and Sirius followed at a more leisurely pace.

"Do you think I'll make the team, Sirius?" Kat asked quietly as they started their ascent to Gryffindor Tower.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "That boy Zachary did a pretty good job too, and he's bigger than you so he can block more of the goals easier."

Kat's good mood shrunk rapidly as she jumped the trick stair. As if sensing her sadness, Sirius said, "C'mon, cheer up! I think that Amelia would have to be bonkers not to stick you on the team."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. You're new talent, and that's some good stuff! Besides, I hear that Fletcher is a total dingbat."

Kat giggled a bit. "I guess even I'm better than a dingbat, huh?"

"Of course you're better than a dingbat!" said Sirius with some emotion.

Kat stopped walking and stared at him. "Sirius Black," she said, "are you complementing me?"

His face turned a slight shade of pink. "That's exactly what I'm doing. Now accept it before I change my mind." He continued walking and pushed aside a tapestry that hid a passageway.

"Thanks," Kat said cheerfully. She was happy that Sirius was being kind again. Since last Christmas when he had given her her rabbit, Mr. Snowy, Sirius had been rather distant with her. Even though they spent the whole summer together, he hadn't really spoken to her alone until now. She felt like they were finally making progress in their friendship.

They continued the rest of the journey back to the common room in silence. Upon crawling through the portrait hole, Kat found James, Peter, and Remus waiting for them at one of the tables by a window.

"I believe some congratulations are in order for your tryout, Kat," said Remus, smiling at her. Kat smiled right back. Everything between her and Remus seemed to have smoothed out (she hoped) and she felt comfortable being perfectly friendly with him again. He had grown a bit over the summer, and there was a new scar on the left side of his neck.

"So now will you tell me what did you two did all day while we were at tryouts?" James asked.

"We wanted to wait until you were all here," said Peter. "It's pretty exciting."

"So what is it?" asked James eagerly.

"We figured out how to do it," said Remus softly.

"Do what?" Sirius asked, obviously getting a little annoyed.

"We figured out how to make the map of the school. It's going to take a while, but I think Pete and I finally figured out how to do it."

"WHAT?!" said Sirius and Kat at the same time.

"No way!" exclaimed James.

They huddled close around the table while Remus went into the details about making their map. When he was done explaining, Kat stepped back, impressed.

"Wow," she breathed. "That sounds like some pretty complicated magic. I don't know how we're going to pull that off."

"That's why all of us are working together! Between the five of us we should be able to figure out how to do it," said Remus.

"And with the four of us running around at night—" said Peter.

"It should be the five of us," said James, fixing Kat with an appraising stare. "What do you think Kat? One more pair of eyes could do wonders with this plan."

Kat chewed her lip as she thought over it. Her school work was harder than last year, there was a possibility that she would be on the Quidditch team, she had Lily confiding in her daily, and now she was expected to work on the map every day. Did she really want to add becoming an Animagus to the list? _Who am I trying to kid?_ She thought to herself.

"Sure, why not?"

James and Sirius' faces split into identical grins. "Excellent."

* * *

Kat went to bed that night more excited and nervous than when she had woken up that morning. The anticipation of learning to turn into an animal and creating a map of Hogwarts that showed everything kept her up later than she would have liked. She woke up the next morning groggy and everything felt fuzzy. She jumped as something heavy hit her bed.

"Kat, wake up! The results are up!" Eileen said excitedly before racing out of the dorm room.

"Wassamater?" Arabella said from her bed. She blinked sleepily before turning over and going back to sleep.

"C'mon, Kat! I'll go down with you," Lily said as she climbed out of bed. Mouth dry, Kat followed.

Even though it was still relatively early for a Sunday morning, a lot of Gryffindors were already awake and crowding around where Amelia had posted the team results on the bulletin board. James was dancing a jig with Eileen in front of the fireplace when Kat showed up. She nervously edged her way through the crowd and took a look at the list…

Chaser: James Potter

Chaser: Eileen O'Reiley

Chaser: Zachary Fletcher

Beater: Jonathon Smith

Beater: Magnus Mildenhall

Keeper: Catherine Potter

Seeker: Amelia Bishop

Kat's jaw dropped. _I MADE IT_. She turned around and was immediately swept into a hug by Lily.

"Congratulation, Kat!" she squealed.

James and Eileen appeared. Together, they whisked Kat into a hug and danced around the room with her. "We're on the team, we're on the team!" They chanted.

Amelia eventually made her way over to where Kat was dancing with James and Eileen and congratulated her on a spectacular tryout. "Practice starts on Tuesday," she said before drifting off to talk to her friends in Seventh Year.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter arrived in the common room a few minutes later and together they trooped down to the kitchens to celebrate. Gigi the house elf met them just after they climb through the portrait and offered them a massive plate of pancakes. They wolfed them down two at a time and then leaned back, complacent.

"I'm glad we did this," Kat said with a burp. Surprised, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand and turned beat red.

James laughed and clapped her on the back. "Don't worry about it, sis. And I'm glad we did this too. It's been too long since we've been in here!"

"James, it's only the first weekend of school," said Remus as he drenched another pancake in syrup. He had grown pale and his appetite had increased tremendously with the approaching full moon.

James said, "I know, but still."

They spent the rest of the day lazing around in the kitchens, celebrating James and Kat's success by feasting on the food that the house elves brought them. Once they were completely stuffed, they practically rolled themselves up to the Entrance Hall and trooped out the front doors and down the lawn. They finally stopped beneath their beach tree and finished out the rest of the day lazing beneath it. By the time it was time for dinner, James and Sirius had made it through four wrestling matches, Peter had taken a two hour nap, Remus made significant progress in Confronting the Faceless for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Kat built a sizable fort out of the twigs and rocks she found around the lake.

After dinner, however, things turned a little ugly.

Kat was just finishing up her Yorkshire pudding when she heard a raspy voice behind her say, "So, you made the Quidditch team, did you? I never would have thought that you would go so far as to think you could possibly achieve something like that." Kat turned around and her scummy birth brother, Aiden was standing behind her, backed by his friend Dolohov.

Taken by surprise, the only thing Kat could think of to say was "Err…" James and Sirius

Luckily, before anything else could happen, Professor McGonagall swooped down from the teacher's table; she could smell trouble quicker than any other teacher at school.

"What's going on here, Mr. Campbell?" she asked.

"Just congratulating my sister on her new placement on the Quidditch team, Professor," Aiden said oily.

"Yes, I had heard of that. Congratulations, Kat," she said to Kat with a smile. She turned to Aiden. "Now I seem to remember that Professor Slughorn spoke to you about staying away from Miss Potter here and her friends."

Aiden smiled nastily. "Of course, Professor." With one last sneer at Kat, he turned at slinked back to the Slytherin table.

McGonagall turned to Kat. "Now Miss Potter, if he bothers you again please tell either myself or another teacher and we'll take care of it."

"Alright, Professor."

McGonagall turned to James and Sirius. "And remember boys, I gave you the first week of term off, but you start the remainder of your detentions from last year tomorrow evening. Be at my office at eight o'clock," she said before leaving.

James gaped after her. "I completely forgot that we still had detention! Why can't they just let it go?"

"You did set a corridor on fire, James," said Remus.

"It wasn't the whole corridor! It was just a tapestry!" whined James.

Recovering from the encounter, Kat laughed a bit. "James, you know you have to serve out all your detentions. You'll end up getting more if you don't."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

It was a slightly melancholy group that headed back to the common room that night. Kat was a little shaken still from her encounter with Aiden. Even though he couldn't _really _hurt her, she was still afraid of him. What Professor McGonagall had said about the other teachers, though made her feel a little better.

By the time they made it back to the common room, the amount of food they had eaten that day began to take its toll. Their steps were dragging and their eyelids were drooping when they finally called it quits and headed to bed. Kat was so worn-out that she almost didn't change into her pajamas. Changing her mind at the last minute, she slipped out of her robes and pulled on her pajamas. After checking to make sure that Mr. Snowy had enough hay and celery to last him until the morning, Kat flopped into bed and didn't move until the next morning.

* * *

**_And so it ends! Did you think that Aiden was gone for good? Mwahaha! Not to mention all of those detentions that James and Sirius still have to serve! Please review if you liked it, or even if you didn't!_**

**_~neelie_**


	3. A Moonlit Walk

**_I wrote this on a road trip up to my sister's college graduation through horrible weather, traffic jams, and the like. So be happy that I got it written ;P Enjoy_**_!_

* * *

Their next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson went along the same lines as the first. Professor Prewett put them all in pairs and had them trying to disarm each other without actually saying anything. This time, Kat was paired up with Remus and together they were trying their best at non-verbal spells. About halfway into their double period, Kat's wand flew out of her hand all by itself. Remus let out a shout of triumph and danced around on the spot.

"Oh, see here! Mr. Lupin's done it!" called Professor Prewett. The class gathered around as Kat picked her wand up off the floor.

"Good job, Remus!" she said. Kat felt a little disappointed in herself. Instead of focusing on disarming Remus silently, she had been daydreaming about Quidditch. She was confident enough in her spell work that she might have been able to disarm Remus at around the same time that he had disarmed her, but instead she had been thinking about flying. She resolved that she would work harder.

Professor Prewett made Remus disarm Kat once more and then had Remus attempt to disarm him. Squaring off, Remus raised his wand arm and scowled, concentrating. Professor Prewett did the same, minus the scowl. A few seconds ticked by and Prewett's wand began to twitch. Then it moved back and forth like a pendulum. Then it flew out of his hand. The class cheered and Professor Prewett awarded Remus twenty points.

"Now maybe next time, a few more of you can take a leaf out of Mr. Lupin's book," Prewett said cheekily when they left his classroom. He had assigned them more practice for homework along with a lengthy essay on the advantages of non-verbal spell work.

That evening while James and Sirius were serving their detentions Kat worked with Remus and Peter on putting their plan for their map into motion. The most difficult part by far was going to be enchanting it so that every person, and ghost, could be found at any given time. Remus thought that he had a way of getting around that, but so far they weren't having any luck.

"We need to find a piece of parchment that's big enough to withstand the spell," he said slumping face first onto the table. "Otherwise it just won't work."

"Well that's going to be a pretty big piece of paper, Moony," said Peter. For the past half hour, Pete had been flipping through the large tome Remus had checked out of the library for help. The title was written in ancient runes and neither him nor Kat could read it.

"It doesn't have to be big in actually, physical size," said Remus, lifting his head to prop it on an elbow. He was looking more thin and drawn out and Kat realized with a start that the full moon was tomorrow.

"What do you mean, it has to be big, but it doesn't have to be big? That doesn't make any sense," said Kat quizzically.

"It says here," Remus grabbed the book from Peter and thumbed through it until he came to a page that was covered in runes, "that the material has to be big in terms of resistance. If we use any normal parchment, the magic will eat right through it. We need it to be durable so that it'll resist the magic."

"Wait, a minute. Didn't Slughorn mention some potion the other day that you can soak things in to preserve them?" Kat sat up straighter in her chair. "He said that the Ministry uses it to preserve important documents."

Remus slapped the table. "That's it! I remember that too! But he never mentioned where we could get the recipe."

"It sounds like an Everlasting Elixir," said Peter with a yawn.

Remus and Kat both stared at Peter. _Did he really just say that? Holy crap, that means he actually pays attention! _Kat thought to herself. "Do you think it's in our book?" she said out loud. She dashed upstairs and came flying back down, carrying her Potion's textbook under her arm. She flipped to the table of contents and shuffled through the pages until she found the Everlasting Elixirs. After a few minutes, Kat triumphantly stabbed the page. "I've found it! But it's got a lot of ingredients we'll never get our hands on…"

A cursory glance of the _Document Everlast _potion showed that they needed dried aconite and powdered grapehorn, among other things.

"It's a good thing Professor Slughorn really likes you, Kat," said Remus. "We're going to need to borrow a lot of these things from him…"

Kat chewed her lip. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea of finagling Professor Slughorn into giving them the ingredients, but at the moment it looked like their only option. They were just laying the groundwork for their plan when James and Sirius climbed through the portrait hole after their detentions. They both smelled strongly of dragon dung.

"Ugh, you wouldn't believe what McGonagall had us doing!" Sirius said as he slumped to the floor next to the table. James joined him. "We had to help Professor Sprout determine which dragon dung was best suited for which plants. It was disgusting!" Kat couldn't help it, she snickered a little bit. "It's not funny!"

"We've made progress on the map. Sort of, anyway," said Peter to diffuse the tension. James and Sirius stopped glaring at Kat and instead focused their attention on Remus and Peter.

Remus explained all about the _Document Everlast _potion and how it was supposed to work. The boys got really excited when Remus got to the part about it being able to preserve a piece of parchment for a practical eternity, but grew disheartened once they were informed of the type of parchment they would need. And the ingredients for the potion threw them off too.

"It's a good thing that Kat is all lovey dovey with Professor Slughorn!" said James in a sing-song voice. "She'll be able to get these ingredients in no time!"

"I am not all lovey dovey with Slughorn!" Kat protested. In the end, though, she agreed to ask Slughorn about some of the ingredients at the next Slug Club meeting.

James and Sirius trooped off to go clean up and Kat decided to turn in for the night. She was tired and wanted to get some rest before her first Quidditch practice ever tomorrow—she didn't want to mess up on her first day just because she was tired.

When she walked into her dorm however, instead of the quiet she had expected, there was a ton of noise. Khristine was sitting on the edge of her bed, sobbing in a hysterical, yet still beautiful way while Arabella and Lily were trying to sooth her. Eileen was pacing back and forth, grinding her fist into her hand. Kat paused awkwardly in the doorway before the other girls noticed that she was there. _Do I really want to walk in on this?_ She thought to herself and started to turn away. _Crap, too late. _Khristine had just stood up dramatically and swung her gorgeous blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Kat, you must come here!" She said, opening her arms wide. Kat clumsily stumbled across the room and Khristine trapped her in a surprisingly strong embrace and commenced sobbing into Kat's long hair. Not knowing what else to do, Kat patted Khristine's back gingerly and led her back over to where Lily and Arabella were sitting on her bed. Kat surmised the story from bits of information the other girls told her. Essentially, Khristine's Seventh Year boyfriend in Ravenclaw had been caught by some Sixth Year girl in Hufflepuff kissing another girl from Slytherin and the Hufflepuff girl had told her friend in Ravenclaw who had then told Khristine about it. Naturally, Khristine was totally distraught by this turn in events and was thus sobbing quite beautifully into her pillow at the moment. Despite the situation, Kat couldn't help but feel a little jealous that the Russian girl could still be so stunning even when she was crying. Needless to say, Kat didn't get as much sleep that night as she had been hoping for and she had been forced to promise to Khristine that the boy from Ravenclaw would now be her sworn enemy (even though she had never even met Liam before). All in all, it was a strange night.

"I am so sore!" Kat moaned the next day at dinner. At their first practice, Amelia had ridden them all hard. Her plan for this season seemed to be to make their Keeper invincible, which for Kat meant a lot of pain. The shots that she missed stung her pride, and some of them she was forced to block with her body and they left bruises. One of the Beaters, Magnus Mildenhall had to be taken to the Hospital Wing when a Bludger broke his jaw. James however, was in great spirits because the trio of Chasers this year was the best Gryffindor had had in ages. Amelia kept them working until it was time for dinner, so the team were still in their scarlet Quidditch robes.

"At least the weather was nice today," said Sirius as he spooned a giant helping of Shepard's pie onto Kat's plate.

"Thanks," she said, and started stuffing her face. "I think I'm going to go on a walk after dinner today, and then head up and take a shower."

"Be careful that you're inside before the sun goes down," Sirius warned. "It's a full moon out tonight."

"Bloody hell, it is, isn't it? I can't believe I forgot." They finished eating dinner in relative silence. James had forgotten his good mood and was brooding about the detention he had to serve tonight with Sirius. Peter was concentrating fiercely on turning his water to wine nonverbally, but wasn't having much success.

They parted ways in the Entrance Hall, James and Sirius heading to McGonagall's office and Peter decided to accompany Kat on her walk. The weather was still clear and they started to stroll around the lake and chatted about their year so far. When Peter told Kat that they were supposed to learn how to Apparate this year she got really excited. They spent a long time talking about their fears involving Apparation (things like splinching and ending up in the wrong place) and gradually the conversation turned to future plans.

Kat had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do after Hogwarts and she soon found out that Peter was in the same boat.

"I haven't given much thought to it, honestly," she confided. "But I guess I won't be able to live with the Potters forever; I'll have to get a job somewhere and get my own place." The thought made her sad.

"I have no idea what I want to do either," said Peter. They were sitting on a rock that was just barely in the lake water, listening to the sound of it lap against the rock. "We can ask some of the teachers for career advice."

"Yeah, I guess. We should probably start heading back," Kat said to change the subject. The sun had already disappeared behind the mountains in the distance and it was getting dark quickly.

"Good idea."

They slowly began to wind their way back around the lake towards the school. Hogwarts was looking magnificent, with all of its windows lit up and the towers stretching towards the darkening sky. Stars were beginning to peak out, but they were still on the opposite side of the lake. Speeding up, Kat began to watch nervously for the moon rise.

"What happens if we're still out here when the moon rises?" she asked quietly. Peter gave a little squeak and looked over his shoulder to the east, where a faint silver glow could be seen.

"James and Sirius don't know we're still out here," he answered, afraid. "It'll be alright for me because I can just transform, but if they come running by, Remus is going to make a beeline straight for you." The moon made its appearance from behind the mountains and lit up the grounds, so bright that Kat and Peter cast shadows.

Kat gulped and then heard the sound that she had been dreading: _a howl_. Her blood froze in her veins and she stopped in her tracks to turn and stare at Peter. His eyes were the size of Galleons. Simultaneously, they broke into a run and sprinted toward the school_. Why had they walked so far and stayed out so late? The castle was still so far away! _Kat had just reached the start of the huge sloping lawn on the castle grounds when a huge, hulking shape appeared loping across the grounds, accompanied by a giant black dog and a graceful stag. Without stopping to think, Kat dropped to the ground and stopped moving.

With her head to the side, she caught sight of the stag skidding to a halt and staring at her. The werewolf, bigger and leaner than any wolf should be, continued running along with the dog until it stopped and sniffed the air. With her heart in her throat, Kat began to slowly reach into her pocket for her wand. Hoping against all reason that Remus wouldn't know she was there, she started inching slowly back down toward the lake. Something scuttled by her hand that almost made her shriek, but it was just Peter, transformed and a rat.

The werewolf seemed to have caught wind of something and changed direction, heading straight for her. Abandoning her attempt at hiding, Kat pushed off the ground and started sprinting for the school. She could hear the snap of jaws behind her and the thumps of heavy footfalls hitting the ground, but she dared not look back. This was certainly going to be the end of her nighttime outings, no matter the outcome. Suddenly, there was an almighty roar and a huge crash that made Kat turn around. The black dog, _Sirius_, Kat told herself, had tackled the werewolf and they were grappling on the ground. Kat heard a clip-clop of hooves and soon James appeared at her side. He sank quickly onto his knees and shook his head, obviously trying to get Kat to slide onto his back. But Kat was rooted to the spot. The dog had its jaws locked on one of the werewolf's arms, but as Kat watched, he was shook free and sent flying through the air. The werewolf regained its footing and started toward Kat again, but then the dog jumped at it again. Kat stood, transfixed as they bit and scratched and snapped at each other. Kat couldn't think of a single spell to help, and even if she did, she didn't want to hit Sirius. The stag nudged her shoulder, trying to get her to climb on but she shook her head; she couldn't leave Sirius. Resigned, James stationed himself between Kat and the fight.

He was so tall that Kat could still see the fight through his legs. The werewolf kept trying to throw the dog off so he could make his way toward Kat, but Sirius kept pulling him back. It finally clicked that the wolf was trying to get at Kat and she started to run away from the fight. She didn't get very far before the stag caught up with her and sank to its knees again. Kat scrambled onto his back and he started galloping up to the school. They entered the courtyard and James dropped back to his knees and Kat slid off. She realized that she was crying. James transformed and took her in his arms, squeezing her hard before dragging her into the Entrance Hall.

Kat leaned heavily on his arm and slowly sank to the floor once they got inside, sobbing.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she kept saying. The tears wouldn't stop flowing and she was shaking like a leaf. " Sirius, oh my God, Sirius! James Remus and Sirius-"

"Kat, listen to me," James said urgently. "Are you hurt?" Kat shook her head. "Then if you want to help, you need to go to the common room right now. Sirius and Remus will be fine now that you're not out there. I'm going to go get Sirius and help him take Remus back to the Shack."

"Okay," Kat said, dazedly. James gave her one last hug before hurrying back outside. Kat heard the clip-clop of his hooves on the stone courtyard, and then she was alone.

Kat closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control her panic. She wiped her eyes and dashed off to the common room, alert for any sign of teachers or Peeves. She made it to the common room without meeting anyone, gave the Fat Lady the password (cherry pie). At first glance, it was empty but then someone threw their arms around her, sobbing. It was Peter.

"Bloody hell, Kat! I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But I just panicked because you were there and it was a full moon and I knew he was going to come at you and I was standing next to you and I'm sorry I just panicked!"

Kat pried Peter's arms off of her and tried to smile. "I'm alright, Pete. But I'm worried about James and Sirius."

Together they waited in the common room. Peter parked himself in one of the armchairs, sniffing quietly, but Kat couldn't sit still. She was crying silently and pacing. She had her ears pricked for any sound from outside and her heart was still thumping like a runaway horse. She was covered head to foot in mud now, some from Qudditch practice, but most of it from when she had thrown herself on the ground. Kat kept mentally kicking herself. _Why the hell did I stay out so late? I'm such an idiot. And why didn't I let James take me away when he first showed up. Sirius could be severely injured. And Remus, poor Remus, I've put him in a terrible position. _

The minutes seemed to crawl by. The clock above the fireplace had just chimed one in the morning when Kat heard some shuffling at the portrait hole. James appeared a second later, supporting Sirius would looked like he was unconscious. Kat rushed over and took Sirius' other arm. Together, she and James led him gingerly over to the armchair closest to the fire. It wasn't until he smiled that Kat knew he was conscious.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," he muttered quietly.

"Where are you hurt?" Kat asked urgently. He murmured something that Kat didn't understand and gestured at his chest. She lifted his sweater over his head to reveal the shirt he was wearing. Instead of being snowy white, it was scarlet in some places. He hissed as Kat gingerly unbuttoned his shirt to inspect his injuries. James whistled. Sirius had some massive claw marks that racked across his chest along with some spectacular purple bruises that fanned out across his back and chest. Kat sent James and Peter scurrying to find something to use as bandages and sat on the floor holding Sirius' hand.

"Sirius," she said softly.

"Mmm," was the response she got.

"Thank you."

"Anything for you," he said. His head slid sideways a little bit and Kat saw that he had fallen asleep.

James and Peter returned soon after and together they doctored Sirius up. James put a charm on the ripped bed sheet that they were using for bandages so that they were clean. They wrapped Sirius' chest up as best they could and Peter and James carried him to his bed while Kat cleaned the blood off of the armchair in the common room. That finished, she followed the boys up into their dorm room just as they tucked Sirius into bed.

"What now?" she asked quietly.

"Hopefully, those cuts will heal on their own so he doesn't have to go to the Hospital Wing," said James. "None of us are planning on saying anything to Dumbledore or one of the teachers, right?"

"Of course not," Kat and Peter said together.

"If everything goes well, the only thing we'll have to worry about is Remus' reaction once he transforms back. He'll probably be suicidal if he knows how badly he hurt Sirius. It'll be bad enough for him that he tried to go for Kat."

Kat squirmed with guilt as she looked at Sirius. With the covers pulled up to his chin, she couldn't see the bandages wrapped around his chest, but a black bruise was appearing along the side of his face. The guilt only got worse when she thought about Remus. She looked around at James, Peter, and then Sirius and felt her heart constrict.

"I am so lucky to have friends like you guys," she said and felt the tears start coming on again. "I don't know what I did to deserve it, but thank you so, so much!" James smiled at her and wrapped her in a hug again. "Do you mind if I stay in here tonight? I don't really want to go to my room."

"Of course you can stay here," said James. He switched into a half-hearted jovial tone. "But you can't sleep with me, Sirius, or Peter! And you can't sleep in a bed dressed in that!" He threw a pair of pajama pants and a clean t-shirt at Kat. "Change out of your Quidditch robes and into those."

Exhausted, they didn't talk much as they all changed out of their robes and into their pajamas. Kat took the empty bed in the dormitory in between Sirius and Remus' beds. She bid the boys good night and slid into bed. She listened to the sound of their breathing, and her heart constricted again when she heard a faint wheezing coming from the direction of Sirius' bed. The last thing she heard before she sank into an exhausted sleep was a faint howl from outside.

* * *

**_Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review if you liked it or leave a critique if you didn't! :)_**

**_~neelie_**


	4. Nighttime Terrors

When Kat woke up the next morning, it took her a while to remember where she was. Then it all came back. She sat up in bed and looked around, but James and Peter weren't there and Sirius was still sleeping. She got out of bed and groggily rubbed her eyes. Tiptoeing to where Sirius slept, she bent her head close to his chest and gave a little sniff. Nothing smelled nasty so she took that as a good sign. She straightened up and stretched a bit before wandering around the room. It was the same as the girls' dormitory, just in reverse. The boys had draped a large, scarlet Gryffindor banner from the ceiling and they someone had a small cactus sitting on the windowsill. She was cautiously poking it when she heard Sirius stirring in his bed. She turned around and found him trying to get out.

"Now stop right there, Mr. Black!" she said. "I'm not sure if you've been cleared to be moving about."

"But we have class today!" He whined, eyes wide. He did a sort of double take and stared down at the make-shift bandages wrapped around his chest.

Kat couldn't help it. She laughed. "I can't believe that you actually care about class that much," she said.

"Okay, you caught me. I don't actually want to go to class. I just want to get out of bed." He gave up trying to rise and instead started to work on peeling off the bandages.

"Sirius! No!" Kat ran across the room and grabbed his arm before he could completely unwrap himself.

"What?" He asked confused.

"Err—"Kat wasn't sure if it was a good idea for Sirius to see how badly he was hurt. Instead, she sat on the side of his bed and gently pushed him back down. "Just lay still for a while. You shouldn't be moving around so much. Do you remember last night?"

"Of course I remember last night. How could I not? You were being dumb and wouldn't leave even though I was getting the stuffing knocked out of me."

Kat turned away. "I'm sorry. But I couldn't leave, I don't know why but I just couldn't."

Sirius caught her arm. "Hey, I'm glad you're okay."

Just then, James kicked down the door and entered with Peter. Both of them were carrying large stacks of toast and James had the marmalade and Peter had orange juice. "Good morning!" James said in a sing-song voice. "Have we all recovered from last night?" He took in the sight of Kat sitting on Sirius' bed with Sirius holding her arm. "Hey now, you kids aren't up to anything crazy now, are you?"

Kat popped off the bed immediately and Sirius chuckled dryly, but then winced in pain. "Is that food for me, Prongs?" He asked quietly.

"Of course, mate!" James dumped his stack of toast onto Sirius' bed before sitting on his bed. Turning serious, he said, "Alright, so we need to figure out what we're going to do."

They looked at each other in silence for a time. Sirius finally broke the silence. "Let's just not do anything. I feel fine, honestly."

James raised an eyebrow. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that you aren't in any pain."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Kat.

To try and prove them wrong, Sirius started to get out of bed. He grabbed his toast, pushed the covers back and tried to stand up. He grimaced and grunted and hissed, but then he was out of the bed and standing all nonchalant, eating toast like it was the most normal thing in the world to have your chest wrapped up in all sorts of bandages. Kat could see where he was bleeding through one.

"As long as no one punches me in the stomach or anything crazy," he joked, "I'll be just fine. Don't tell Remus."

Kat privately agreed with him. She was a little fuzzy on the details of transformation, but it seemed like Remus never remembered anything from his time as a werewolf. If they didn't mention anything about last night, he would never know.

"I agree that we shouldn't tell Remus," said James. He looked around the room and the others nodded. "It's settled then. Don't say anything."

They stayed in the dorm room for the rest of the morning (skipping Potions and Herbology). Kat changed Sirius' bandages and James wouldn't let him get out of bed again until lunch time. He walked down to the Great Hall just fine, but sliding onto the benches at the table proved difficult. Eventually though, Sirius settled down between Kat and James; Peter sat across from them and kept his head down. He didn't say much at lunch.

Towards the end of the meal, Professor Slughorn made his way over to their table. Sirius cursed under his breath when he saw him approaching.

"What's this, what's this?" Slughorn said. "Why weren't you all in my class this morning?"

Thinking fast, Kat said, "We overslept, Professor."

"What, all four of you? And where is Mr. Lupin?"

"He's sick, sir," said James.

"Oh yes, that's right," said Slughorn rather awkwardly. "Well I won't put you all in detention for oversleeping. Just don't let it happen again!" And he swept away from the table.

"Nice thinking, sis," said James. "It's a good thing he likes you so much or we would've been in serious trouble."

The rest of the day went by as normally as a day could when one of your friends is grievously injured but attempting to hide it from the rest of the populace. Sirius put on a brave face, but by the end of the day he was as pale as a sheet. He retired from dinner early and James said that he was snoring peacefully when he went up to check on him after Quidditch practice.

"I'm pretty impressed with him," said James. He had gone to McGonagall after practice feigning illness and stating that Sirius had the same, so they had both gotten out of detention for the evening. He and Kat were now playing a game of Wizard's Chess. Peter was sitting on the opposite side of the common room with his face hidden behind today's issue of _The Daily Prophet_. James swore when Kat captured his queen. She was beginning to have quite the talent for chess.

"I hope he gets better soon. The sooner he's healed, the sooner we can all go back to normal."

"It's gonna be tough at breakfast tomorrow when Remus comes back."

Kat was dreading breakfast the next day. She wasn't really sure how she was supposed to react when Remus sat with them. He wouldn't remember anything, but the rest of them knew what happened. _What if someone lets something slip? Or what if Sirius starts bleeding all over the table? What happens if Sirius tries _punching_ Remus? _Trying to clear these thoughts from her mind, Kat eventually bid James a good-night and headed off to bed.

Lily and Eileen were the only ones in the dorm room and both of them looked up from what they were doing. Lily was reading a copy of _Witch Weekly and_ it looked as though Eileen has started on an essay Professor McGonagall had assigned them.

"Where were you last night? And why weren't you in class this morning?" asked Lily. "And why were you being so nice to Sirius Black all day?"

Rather stunned by the amount of questions flying at her from Lily, Kat blinked and cursed under her breath. "I was hanging out with the boys in their dormitory last night when I fell asleep. I was really tired from practice and none of them set anything to wake us up, so we all slept late."

"You were sleeping by yourself, right?" said Lily, putting down her magazine.

"Of course I was! What's that even supposed to mean?"

"Just checking," Lily said. She picked her magazine up and went back to reading. Eileen's quill started scratching across her parchment again. Kat let out a sigh and started getting ready for bed. She pulled on her pajamas and crawled beneath the covers. After drawing the curtains, she couldn't quite fall asleep so she let Mr. Snowy out of his cage and held him, scratching his tiny white head. She had to chastise him twice for munching on her sheets, but eventually he got the message. She massaged his soft body for a while before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"_I don't think I can take it anymore, Remus," she said, slamming her hand down upon the table. "This is the third time this week that he's taken that damn motorcycle out for a joy ride and not told me. What happens if he's seen? The Death Eaters are looking for us. What if he crashes? Doesn't he know how dangerous that thing is?"_

"_I know, Kat," said Remus. The harsh lighting in the kitchen made the gray in his hair seem almost white. "But you know how he is. He needs adventure. Let me make some tea." He got up from the table and left Kat alone. _

Kat turned over in her sleep and pulled the covers up to her chin.

_A few minutes later, Remus came running into the kitchen, a letter clutched in his hand. His eyes were wild and Kat could see tears forming behind them. _

"_Dumbledore," was all he said before sinking to the ground._

_Kat grabbed the letter out of his hand and read it. She screamed._

* * *

Kat sat up in her bed, not knowing that she was screaming until Eileen and Arabella ripped back her curtains. Shaking all over, she covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. She felt someone rubbing her back and felt arms enveloping her in a tight embrace.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" she heard Arabella ask. Kat shook her head. She didn't want to put it into words. _It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream…right? _

"You just had a nightmare, Kat," she heard Lily say. "Do you remember what it was about?"

Kat gave a huge sniff and lift her head from her hands. "It—it was so real," she stammered. She had stopped shaking and noticed that Mr. Snowy was still in bed with her, nuzzling at her knee. She scooped him up and held him to her chest, willing herself to calm down.

"Maybe you should talk to Professor Whitehorn, the Divination teacher, about it. It might help, you know?" said Eileen in a false cheery sort of way.

"Do you think I should?" Kat said with another sniff. Now that she had been awake longer, the horror of the dream was fading. _What did that letter even say…?_

"Who knows, you might have seer blood or something crazy," Eileen said.

Arabella visibly drew back and Kat heard Khristine scoff from somewhere on the other side of the curtains. "Don be redikulus, Eileen. Seers are veally vare."

"Well, you never know."

Seeing that Kat had calmed down, the other girls returned to their beds. Kat listened to their breathing return to the deep, calm breath of sleep. Mr. Snowy had fallen asleep as well, so Kat put him back in his cage. She lay back against her pillows and stared at the ceiling, determined not to fall back asleep. She didn't want to dream anymore. She kept her curtains open and stared out the window, watching the sky gradually turn purple, then pink, orange, and yellow, blue. When the other girls started waking up, Kat pretended that she too had gone back to sleep and got changed into her school robes with them.

At breakfast, she walked right passed the Gryffindor table and headed straight for where Professor Slughorn was sitting at the teachers' table. He was in a conversation with a student from Hufflepuff, so Kat stood back a bit, surveying the Hall while she waited. She saw James, Sirius, and Peter enter the Hall and look for her, and a few minutes later saw Remus enter the Hall. She could tell, even from this distance, that he had had a rough time recovering from his latest transformation. When the boys finally caught sight of her standing by the teachers' table, they waved. She waved back, feeling a stab of pain as she remembered her dream.

"Did you want to say something, m'dear?" Slughorn said.

Kat spun around and gave a half smile. "Yes, Professor."

"Well?"  
"Well, you see Professor, I've been having some really horrible dreams recently, dreams that I would much rather not have, much less remember. I was wondering if you could help me brew a dreamless sleep potion. I really need to focus on my school work and Quidditch practice, sir. I don't need to be having horrible nightmares on top of everything."

Slughorn looked concerned, but before he could say anything, the thin woman sitting next to him piped up. "Did you say horrible dreams, miss?" Her voice had a slight misty quality to it, and Kat knew at once that this was Professor Whitehorn. The little woman had long, white hair that hung free all the way down her back and she wore heavy looking chandelier earrings that made her ears look twice as large as they really were.

"Err, that's right Professor," said Kat, unhappily. She wished that she had realized sooner that Professor Slughorn was sitting next to the Divination teacher.

"And what, pray, are these dreams about?"

"Well," Kat began awkwardly. Whitehorn was looking at her very intensely while Slughorn looked concerned. "I'm always older in them and—"

"Aha! You are having premonitions!" Whitehorn announced dramatically. She seemed absolutely delighted by the fact. "Come by my office this afternoon during break and we shall talk in greater detail about them!" She gave a dismissive flick of her hand and returned to her eggs.

Slughorn coughed awkwardly and said, "Well then, Miss Camp—ahem, Miss Potter, I shall see you in class later." Kat smiled through her irritation and headed toward the Marauders to start breakfast.

"Did you ask Slughorn about some ingredients?" Remus said by way of greeting. He had massive dark rings under his eyes and she could tell by the stiff way he was sitting that his ribs were hurting him. It made her uncomfortable.

"No, actually. I was asking him to help me make a dreamless sleep potion," she said as she slid onto the bench between James and Peter. She felt Peter scoot a few inches away from her. She turned to look at him, but he was busy staring at his bacon.

"Why do you need that?" asked James, curiously.

"I had another dream last night…"

"Am Lily and I going to get married?" James asked, excitedly. He stood up and waved down the table to where Lily was eating breakfast with Khristine and Arabella. She glared at him and continued pouring milk into her tea.

"Don't be stupid," said Sirius, grabbing James and pulling him down. James punched him and Sirius hissed. Kat felt a stab of guilt and looked over at Remus, but he hadn't notice—he was piling ketchup onto his sausages. "Can't you tell that it was a bad one? Look at her!"

James sat down and brought his face very close to Kat, obviously trying to take in every detail. "She does seem paler than usual. And you're breaking out!" Kat punched him and pushed him away. "And you've got dark circles to rival Remus'!"

"What was your dream about this time, Kat?" Remus asked. He looked like his normal self, but Kat couldn't help but feel another massive stab of guilt.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said quickly.

"That means it was about us," said James. Before any of the boys could ask her something else, Kat grabbed a sausage and a biscuit and dashed out of the Great Hall. Hoping that they wouldn't follow her, Kat ran down to the lake and sat under the tree. She tried desperately to control her heart and breathing with her eyes squeezed shut. When she opened them, she wasn't alone.

"Having trouble sleeping, Miss Potter?" Professor Dumbledore was sitting on the lowest branch of the tree, peeling an orange like it was the most natural thing in the world. Kat gasped and scrambled up.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't see you up there!"

"Obviously not, but it's quite alright. You may continue sitting beneath the tree if you wish, just don't look straight up or you may see something that you had wished you didn't."

Not knowing what else to do, Kat sat on the ground facing the tree and Dumbledore with her back to the lake. "How did you know that I haven't been sleeping, Professor?"

"There are some telltale signs that I myself have exhibited on occasion." He dropped a piece of orange peel on the ground. "Is it something that you want to talk about?"

Kat was silent for a moment. "Professor," she said finally, "how can you find out if there's seer blood in your family?"

"Ah," said Dumbledore. "Having unsettling dreams, are we?" Kat nodded. "Seers are generally illusive folks who keep to themselves. You would have better luck asking Professor Whitehorn that question than I."

"Professor, do you know what a Death Eater is?"

Dumbledore stared at her long and hard. "Where did you hear that term?"

"In my dream."

"Don't mention it to anyone else, Miss Potter. I believe that now the best thing for you to do would be to speak with Professor Whitehorn about these dreams." He hopped out of the tree with such agility that Kat was astounded a man as old as he could accomplish it. "Now, I must leave you." He handed her the peeled orange. "Enjoy your breakfast." He strode quickly up towards the school, taking long, massive strides and disappearing into the castle.

Kat stared after him, not quite sure what to make of the conversation. She hadn't actually planned on going to see Professor Whitehorn, but how could she not now that Professor Dumbledore had told her to? His reaction about Death Eaters concerned her. She didn't know what they were, but they sounded nasty. She had hoped that that was just a made up segment of her dream, but Dumbledore's reaction had convinced her otherwise. She pulled apart the orange and ate a piece, savoring its juicy sweetness. The bell sounded for the start of morning classes and Kat steeled herself for the rest of the morning. She planned on visiting Professor Whitehorn as soon as she could.

* * *

**_Ta da! The plot thickens! -that's a weird looking word. The new plot elements are courtesy of my sister! There is a lot of new stuff approaching. Please review, even if you didn't like it so that I can know what to fix :)_**

**_~neelie_**


	5. Gryffindor Versus Hufflepuff

_**Hello again everyone! I'm sorry this chapter took a while, but I was having computer issues again. -_- My new computer crapped out on me already, so I ended up getting another one. But on to more exciting things, like the stuff that goes on in this chapter! It's a pretty busy one, and it took me a while to write but here it is!**_

* * *

Kat decided to visit Professor Whitehorn during lunch break. It took her a while, but eventually she managed to find her way to the Diviniation classroom in one of the school's towers. She had taken directions from both the Fat Friar and Nearly Headless Nick, two of the friendliest ghosts at Hogwarts, and they had pointed her in the right direction. Not knowing what to expect, Kat approached the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

"Enter," came Professor Whitehorn's voice. Kat obeyed and opened the door. The room was full of small, low tables with pillows and cushions scattered about to sit on. All of the drapes were pulled shut except one. The light cast from the window illuminated the table where Professor Whitehorn was sitting with a girl with extremely curly hair and large glasses that made her look bug-eyed. "Thank you Sybil, but that's all for today. I will see you tomorrow." The girl got up to leave with a sulky look and cast Kat a reproachful glance as she slipped out the door past her.

"Hello, Professor Whitehorn. I'm Catherine Cam—Potter." Kat cursed herself. By now, she should be used to announcing that her surname was Potter and not Campbell, but it was still weird for her sometimes.

"Yes, I know who you are. Please, have a seat." Kat knelt down on the pillow Sybil had just vacated. "Now, you've been having some disturbing dreams?" Today Professor Whitehorn had her long, white hair done up in an elaborate braided halo and the same huge chandelier earrings hung from her ears.

"Yes," Kat said nervously. She began to play with her own long hair. She had been meaning to cut it for ages but hadn't gotten around to it. _Why am I thinking about my hair now?_ She stopped playing with it.

"Tell me about them," Whitehorn leaned forward to listen.

"I guess I've had more of them than I remember. Some days, when I wake up, I just feel so sad and depressed that I don't know what to do with myself. I look at my friends and the feelings get worse. Last night was the first time that I've really remembered my dream, but it seemed so familiar. I was sitting in a kitchen with a man who looked like he could be Remus Lupin, but older. I was ranting to him about someone, desperately important to me, who had been using a motorbike. And then everything sort of changed. Remus left and when he came back…he must have gotten an owl. I don't remember what the letter said, but it was horrible. I was in so much pain that I woke up and I screamed and screamed…" Kat shivered as she remembered the terror of the dream.

Professor Whitehorn continued to watch her for a few moments longer. "Alright, m'dear. This is what we're going to do. We're going to have a cup of tea." She clapped her hands and a tray, loaded with a tea pot, some cups, cream, sugar, and biscuits zoomed over to their table.

"Tea? Now?"

"Yes, and then I will read your tea leaves and see where that leaves us." She poured and sat back, contentedly breathing in the smell as she passed the cup to Kat. Then, with a glass of her own, Whitehorn sat back on her pillow and said, "Tell me about your family."

Kat wrinkled her nose. "There isn't much to tell, Professor. I couldn't even tell you if my grandparents are alive. The only people from my family I have ever known are my parents and my brother, and I don't want anything to do with them." She winced as she burnt her tongue on the hot tea.

"I see," said Whitehorn. "Well, I shall look into it. It is possible that there may be Seer blood in your family, and you have been given the Gift."

"Seer blood? I don't have Seer blood!"

"We shall see." They sat in silence until Kat had finished her tea. Whitehorn quickly took her cup and flipped it upside down on the saucer. "To drain the excess tea," she explained. Kat had never seen anyone read tea leaves before and she was curious. After a few minutes, Whitehorn turned the cup back over and began gazing intently at its contents. She mumbled quietly to herself as she turned it every which way, scrutinizing every minute detail.

"Ah!" She announced. "There is danger in your path, I am afraid. See the skull? And an attack too, the club tells us that. And trials and suffering, the cross, that is what the cross says, but also great happiness, the sun is still shinning here in your cup. So along the way, happiness is to be found. Count yourself lucky, my dear, for the rest of your future is very grave indeed." She had been showing Kat the shapes as she found them, pointing them out as she explained their meaning. Kat's stomach sank with each new prediction. The leaves looked like a shapeless lump to her, but the longer she stared, the clearer the figures seemed to be.

She knew instantly that James and Sirius would probably laugh themselves silly if she told them that she had had her fortune read for her out of a tea cup. There were a million reasons why she shouldn't believe it, but a few goods ones for why she should. Her recurrent dreams were becoming more and more vivid, and there was something about the way Professor Whitehorn spoke that made Kat want to believe her.

"I will look into your lineage later, Miss Potter. I want you to focus on emptying out your mind every night before you go to sleep. It will help keep regular dreams out and clarify the prophesizing ones. If you have the gift of foreknowledge, your dreams will no longer be trivial. Come and see me if another of these dreams occurs. It will seem clearer, with more detail than your other dreams, and your senses will not be impaired in this dream. If one does not occur by next week, come and see me anyway. I will likely have more information for you. Good bye." Professor Whitehorn stood up and swept off to her office at the back of the classroom.

Rather stunned by what Whitehorn had just said and the abrupt dismissal, Kat remained on her pillow. Eventually, she began her slow descent to the Great Hall. On her journey down, Kat thought over everything that Whitehorn had said to her. _Do I really have Seer blood?_ For all she knew, her grandmother could have been a Seer. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell never spoke more than a handful of words to her if they could help it. They had preferred to leave Kat alone in the basement with the company of their house elf. Kat hoped with all her heart that she hadn't seen the future with her and Remus sitting at that table. They had been in such anguish. _I don't want that to be my future._

She made it down to the Great Hall with enough time before afternoon classes to eat. She found James, Remus, Peter, Eileen, and Lily all sitting together. James and Lily were actually sitting _next _to each other and appeared to be talking about the upcoming Quidditch match, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. Remus and Eileen were chatting about an essay Professor Prewett had assigned on Unforgivable Curses while Peter sat, trying to nonverbally turn his glass of water into wine.

"Ah, Kat! There you are!" said Remus when he saw her. He gave her a huge smile. Eileen looked miffed about losing his attention. Feeling uncomfortable, Kat decided to sit next to James instead. "How was Professor Whitehorn?"

"Oh, did you go see her today?" Lily asked. She seemed perfectly happy with the seating arrangements.

"Yeah, but I think she gave me a bunch of hogwash. I'm supposed to empty my mind every night before I go to sleep to root out the 'normal' dreams. I still don't even know what that means." She started eating some green beans.

"But did she know what it was? Your dream, I mean," asked James with concern.

"Not really," Kat lied. She wasn't sure if she wanted the guys to know, just yet, that she could be seeing the future. "Where's Sirius?" she asked, changing the subject.

"He wasn't feeling well again, so he went to lie down," explained Remus. "He has been acting weird recently."

"He probably just ate something weird that messed with his stomach," James joked.

* * *

Sirius didn't make an appearance until after Quidditch practice that evening. Kat was playing Exploding Snap in the common room with James when Sirius sauntered down the stairs and plopped into an armchair.

"Feeling any better?" James asked as he carefully stacked his cards.

"I can move my arms now," Sirius said, demonstrating by raising his arm above his head. "Where are Remus and Peter?"

"They're in the library working on the map. Kat and I got bored so we decided to come up here and see if the princess would emerge from her tower," said James.

"Ha, ha," Sirius replied sarcastically. Kat cursed loudly as her cards exploded. Sirius and James laughed as she started gathering the smoking cards. "So are you ready for the game Saturday?"

Kat's stomach did a painful twist. She had been trying to ignore the fact that the weekend was looming ever closer, and soon she would be flying in front of the whole school and, hopefully, blocking the three tall goal posts. _I hope I don't make a fool out of myself._ "Don't remind me."

"Oh, relax. You'll be fine," James patted her head. Kat glared at him. "Seriously! I've seen you at practice! And besides, we're playing _Hufflepuff _first."

"James is right, Kat. The Hufflepuffs are a bunch of pushovers."

Kat nodded, but didn't say anything. She started another round of Exploding Snap, playing with Sirius as well this time. After a time, the common room began to empty out as the other students headed off to bed. Peter and Remus appeared just after ten with news that their map was proving to be much more difficult than they had previously thought. They stayed up late into the night discussing new ideas for the map and what they could do to improve what they already had. Eventually, Kat announced that she was heading to bed and the boys soon followed suit.

She forgot until the last minute that she was supposed to empty her mind of all thoughts. She found this very difficult to do, since she was busy panicking—_only slightly!—_about the upcoming Quidditch match. Kat tried as best she could to banish all of the thoughts swirling about, but she kept on thinking about stupid things, like what Aiden was going to think when he saw her flying around on Saturday, or what she would eat for breakfast the next day, or even the delightful taste of her minty toothpaste. Eventually, she managed to diminish these thoughts to the point where she thought it was safe and she fell asleep.

* * *

"Oh, Merlin. Why did I think that this was ever a good idea?" Kat said in a shaky voice. She was in the process of changing into her Quidditch robes with the rest of the Gryffindor team. Amelia, their captain, was already changed and pacing the locker room.

"Relax, you'll be fine," Eileen whispered encouragingly. She gave Kat a winning smile before joining Amelia in her pacing.

"Just remember to breathe," James advised. His eyes were alight and he looked about as excited as Kat had ever seen him. James lived for Quidditch.

"Right." She could hear the sound of hundreds of excited voices talking at the same time, some of them sounding like they were chanting.

"And don't let anything through those hoops," said Zachary Fletcher, a Chaser, rather nastily.

"Alright team, listen up!" Amelia called. Kat and James finished pulling on their robes and leaned on their brooms like the rest of the team. "This is it, the first game of the season. We have to come out strong if we want a chance at the Cup this year. Hufflepuff is going to put on a good fight today and we—"

"Oh, please. Hufflepuff isn't going to put up a good fight," said James, ruffling his hair confidently.

"Shut it, Potter," Amelia snapped, getting irritated. "That's exactly the type of attitude that could ruin this for us. We can't take anything for granted and have to come out fighting." The noise from the crowd in the stadium grew louder, announcing the arrival of the Hufflepuff team on to the field. "Alright, ready?" The team all nodded. Feeling braver, Kat did the same. "Then let's go."

Amelia led the way onto the field. Gripping her broom handle tightly so it wouldn't slip out of her sweaty hand, Kat blinked in the bright sunlight as the team strode on to the field. The crowd exploded, the Gryffindor crowd emblazoned with scarlet and gold banners and flags. Kat's heart skipped a beat and she felt braver. It was a beautiful day for Quidditch—the sun was shining, there was a slight breeze in the air, and only a few puffy clouds floated in the sky.

Professor Prewett was referee for the game and was waiting for the teams to line up. Once they were in their positions, he released the Snitch, Bludgers, and Quaffle and the game began.

The Gryffindor Chasers immediately took control of the Quaffle, weaving in and out of the Hufflepuff players, passing the ball deftly to each other. A few seconds in, Eileen scored. Kat did a loop to celebrate and relieve some of her tension. The first real test for Kat came when Gwenog Jones came flying at her with the Quaffle. She wove in and out of James, Zachary, and Eileen, and came face to face with Kat. She feigned left, but Kat didn't fall for it and blocked her first shot of the season. The Gryffindor stands exploded with cheers, and instantly all of Kat's apprehension disappeared. With her new confidence, Kat blocked the next ten shots thrown at her, and James scored three times and Eileen twice.

With Gryffindor leading 60-0, Kat made her first mistake. She slid forward too far on her broom and missed a shot by the Hufflepuff Chaser. Hufflepuff quickly scored twice more. A Bludger came whizzing by her head, closely followed by the Gryffindor Beater, Magnus Mildenhal.

"Watch yourself, Kat!" he called as he flew by.

The game turned dirtier after Gryffindor scored again, leading 70-30. Amelia was nowhere to be seen in her search for the Snitch, nor was the Hufflepuff Seeker. Prewett blew his whistle when a Hufflepuff Beater cracked Eileen in the back of the head with his bat. James scored with the penalty shot. Kat narrowly avoided getting hit by a Bludger again when she heard the whole crowd gasp. Amelia and the Hufflepuff Seeker were streaking toward the ground, racing to catch the Snitch first. Both teams paused and watched in awe as Amelia pulled out of a spectacular dive, holding the Golden Snitch firmly in her hand. Professor Prewett blew the whistle and the game was over.

The stands erupted in cheers. The Gryffindors all landed in a circle around Amelia and they danced around, celebrating. The final score was 230-30. Kat couldn't remember a time when she had been happier, not even when she found out that she would be staying with the Potters and wouldn't have to go back to live with Aiden and her parents. They had won the match! And she had managed to stay on her broom, hadn't done anything stupid, and had only let in three shots.

Professor Prewett had to kick them off the field because of their celebration. Kat walked happily with the rest of the team to the locker rooms to change out of their Quidditch robes. Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily were all waiting for them when they got out.

"You were so good!" Lily squealed when she saw Kat. She pulled her into a hug that almost cut off all circulation in her legs.

"Not too shabby," Sirius said with a smile.

"Fantastic job!" said Remus.

"Hey, what about me?" James asked, hurt. "I scored a bunch of times in case you didn't notice."

"Oh, don't worry, mate. We noticed," Sirius draped his arm across James' shoulders and began steering him towards the school. "Let's go up to the castle and celebrate."

Kat followed, talking with Lily and Peter about the match, while Remus asked Eileen about her head.

"I bet you think you're really something," said a raspy voice. Kat stopped cold in her tracks. That was the voice that she had hoped she would never have to hear again. She thought that Professor McGonagall, or James and Sirius fighting would have put a stop to it. She was wrong. She turned around and, sure enough, Aiden Campbell, her birth brother, was standing there with his arms crossed flanked by his Slytherin friends, Dolohov and Avery.

"What do you want?" she hissed. The tone of her voice caused Sirius and James to turn around. Without pausing to think, the two drew their wands once they saw who she was talking to. The rest of the group looked warily between Kat and her real brother.

"I just wanted to congratulate my sister on her victory over Hufflepuff," said Aiden rather lazily. He was twirling a dead dragonfly between his fingers. "It won't be so easy when you play Slytherin next. You had better watch yourself," he said nastily. He flicked the dragonfly away and beckoned for his friends to shoulder past Kat and the others.

Kat stared after them. Aiden had shaken her confidence.

"Don't pay attention to him," Eileen said, recovering first. "He's just a snot-nosed little git." Nodding in agreement, Kat followed the others as the started back towards the castle again.

"I don't believe it," she heard Sirius say. "Are we going to have to deal with every single bloody Slytherin today?" They had just reached the stone courtyard.

Severus Snape was on his way over to them, his sights set on Lily. She saw him approaching and sniffed, upturning her nose.

"Please, Lily. Just let me talk to you," he said when he got close.

"There's nothing you could say that would make me want to listen to you, Snape," she snapped. Lily turned on her heel and strode so quickly that her long red hair flew out behind her like a banner.

"Wait!" Snape said, raising an arm to try and stop her. James stepped in his path.

"She doesn't want to talk to you Snivellus," he growled. James began pulling his wand out again. "You'd best stay away if you know what's good for you."

Snape looked like he wanted to say something, but he saw that he was outnumbered. He shot one last mournful glance at the direction Lily had disappeared in before spitting on the ground at James' feet. There was a crack and suddenly Snape was hanging in the air upside-down.

"James!" Kat shrieked. She had nothing personal against Snape and didn't want James to lose all of the points they had just won for winning the game, let alone get another round of detentions.

"James, let him go," Remus said calmly. Kat noted with surprise that Remus had taken his wand out as well. Sirius was looking on, leaning coolly against the tree in the courtyard. A small crowd had gathered around the spectacle, mostly Gryffindor fans who were just coming into the school after celebrating in the stadium.

Snape's face was beginning to turn a horrible purple color when James let out an exasperated groan and put his wand away. Snape fell to the ground with a thud. Kat winced as she thought she heard the sound of ribs cracking.

"Try spitting at me one more time and you'll really see what happens," James said scathingly before stomping on up into the castle. The crowd trooped by Snape, most jeering insults at him as he just lay on the ground, not really moving. Kat waited until the crowd had gone inside before she moved to help.

"Are you alright?" she asked, trying to help him up.

"Get off of me!" he practically shouted, pushing away her outstretched arm. Snape climbed awkwardly to his feet, wincing. Kat was right; James had broken ribs this time.

"Do you want me to take you to the Hospital Wing?" she asked, trying to help him again.

"Get away from me, and stay away!" he shouted furiously.

Kat stood rooted to the spot and watched Snape clamber his way up into the castle. She looked after him, feeling pity. James had just completely humiliated him in front of almost all of the Gryffindors. She also wanted to know why Lily wasn't talking to Snape. They used to be close friends, but Kat couldn't recall seeing them together at all this year, and given Lily's reaction to his presence, she wasn't sure if she should ask Lily about it. She slowly followed Snape's footsteps into the castle, but turned away from the dungeons and started the long climb up to the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

_**Ta da! You didn't forget about Aiden, did you? Because I DIDN'T! And I didn't forget about Snape either, he was in this one too! Please leave your comments, whether good or bad, or if you just want to say hello! **_

_**~neelie415**_


	6. A Turn Down Hogsmeade Lane

**_Hello, hello. I've gotten multiple requests to intensify the drama in my story I have going on here. Hopefully, there's enough in this chapter!_**

* * *

The next several weeks flew by and soon the castle smelled like baking pumpkin and cinnamon. Halloween was the next day and the whole castle was buzzing with excitement. Slytherin had flattened Ravenclaw in the last quidditch game and would be playing Gryffindor next weekend. The weather had turned nasty and it hadn't stopped raining in days. All Herbology classes had been moved to one of the empty classrooms on the first floor until further notice, along with the Care of Magical Creatures classes. A schedule had been posted on all the common room notice boards announcing the start of Apparition lessons next week.

Aiden had been mysteriously quiet since he had spoken with Kat after the first Quidditch match of the season. It made Kat uneasy each time she saw one of his Slytherin cronies, but there was nothing she could do unless Aiden made some sort of attempt to harm her or one of her friends. Sirius' injuries had recovered fully from the wounds Remus had given him that first full moon. Kat was privately amazed at Sirius' quick recovery and the fact that they had managed to keep the whole incident hidden from Remus. She had thought that, at some point, Remus would notice the scabs on Sirius' chest.

Kat had visited Professor Whitehorn just like she asked, but the Divination professor was proving to be elusive. Every time Kat climbed the tall tower to see her, she was either busy with Sybil Trelawney or was nowhere to be found. Kat found it odd that the woman would offer to help her, and then refuse to see her again. Kat's bizarre dreams had grown more frequent. In the latest one, an older version of Sirius had been present. They had been sitting comfortably on a couch, wrapped up in a blanket together while watching a little boy float about six inches off the ground on a toy broomstick. The boy had had a shock of black hair and bright green eyes. The anxiety Kat had felt in her other dreams had been replaced by total contentment in this dream.

Without Whitehorn to guide her, Kat's curiosity had gotten a little out of control. Dissatisfied with what the Hogwarts library had not provided her with, Kat began thinking more and more about the house elf who had been instrumental in helping her escape her family's household in the first place. Iggy, the delightful creature, had been Kat's only companion during her confinement in the Campbell's basement on the moor. Who else would know about her family's history than a creature whose whole purpose was to serve them? The only problem was if she would be able to talk to Iggy. Wizarding families kept strict control over what their house elves did and scarcely let them out of the house.

_ Maybe I should talk to Gigi,_ Kat thought for the millionth time during a Transfiguration class. McGonagall was wandering between the tables, inspecting their work as they attempted to turn owls into opera glasses and back again. It was one of the few lessons since the beginning of the year in which they didn't have to use a nonverbal spell.

Kat absently flicked her wand, thinking about visiting the kitchens later when a large stork exploded from the end of it, showering them all in large, white feathers. The bird made a huge clamor with its loud honking and many of the students tried jumping out of its path as it took flight. Professor McGonagall was there in a flash, waving her wand expertly, conjuring a cage and trapping the bird inside.

"Now really, Miss Potter! Concentrate on what you are doing! Five points from Gryffindor!"

"Sorry, Professor," Kat mumbled, her face glowing red. She heard James snigger to the left of her, but she kept her head down.

It was some time before the class calmed down again, and soon the bell announcing the end of lessons for the day rang. Traipsing up to the common room, James hooted with laughter and teased Kat.

"I don't think I've seen a failure that spectacular since Peter blew up his cauldron fourth year!" James laughed heartily and ran a hand through his hair. He saw Lily walking past them and winked at her. Surprisingly, all Lily did was turn a slight shade of pink. No angry remark or huffy response. James looked delighted. It looked like Kat's prophecy from last year predicting that James and Lily would start dating their seventh year was close to coming true.

"Don't worry, Kat," Sirius said, and threw an arm over Kat's shoulder. She felt a swooping sensation in her stomach and tried ignoring it. "We all screw up royally sometimes; it's nothing to worry about."

"Thanks, Sirius. At least someone is on my side." Kat stuck her tongue out at James. He returned the gesture.

"Now what we really should talk about is you becoming and Animagus, like us," Sirius said in a hushed voice. "That way, we won't have another incident."

"What do you mean, 'another incident'?" asked Remus alarmed.

"Don't worry about it, Moony," said James quickly.

"Kat just worries about us at night," said Peter. It was the first time he had really addressed Kat since the night the two of them had been out by the lake together. He had been too ashamed of running away to really face her, but now he seemed determined to put things right.

"You're keeping something from me. What is it?" Remus asked, stopping dead in his tracks. A first year boy walked straight into his back and fled when he saw the look on Remus' face.

Sirius stopped as well, along with Kat. "Let's talk about this later, somewhere private, alright?" He said in a hushed tone.

Remus' face filled with anguish. "Oh my God, something happened, didn't it?!"

Kat forced a smile on her face. Her heart ached with Remus' distress. "Nothing too bad happened, honest."

Remus appeared to take solace in her smile, which made Kat feel even worse. When they made it to the Fat Lady, (Cumulus Nimbus) they bypassed the common room and headed straight for the boys' dormitory. As soon as they were all inside, Remus stared helplessly at them. "Please, what happened?" he asked desperately.

Unsure who was going to start, Kat took a deep breath. "Back in September, Peter and I decided to go on a walk after dinner. We were planning on being back in long before the moon rose—"

"Only we weren't," Peter cut in. "We were ages away from the school when you, James, and Sirius showed up."

Remus groaned and sat on his bed, his head in his hands. "I was so, so stupid," Kat continued. "You came right at me, and Sirius tried stopping you while James knelt down so I could climb on. He was trying to take me away, but I couldn't go. I don't know why," Kat could feel the tears trickling down her face again, but she somehow managed to keep her voice steady. "I couldn't stop watching you and Sirius fight."

"When you say fight—"Remus began, his voice hoarse.

"She means fight," said Sirius. He lifted up his shirt to expose his still healing wounds. "You beat the hell out of me, mate."

Remus looked like he was going to pass out. He kept shaking his head from side to side, but couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the gouges on Sirius' chest. "This is so beyond bad. I have to tell Dumbledore, I have to tell Dumbledore," he started repeating it over and over and was shaking. Alarmed, Kat hurried over to the bed to try and comfort him. He yelled and pushed her away. "Stay away from me!" he bellowed. "I'm dangerous!"

James blocked his way to the door. "Don't be a prat, Remus. There's no way we're letting you turn yourself in to Dumbledore."

"It wasn't your fault, Remus," Kat said softly, the tears still falling. "It was mine. I was the one who wanted to go on a walk, I was the one who wouldn't leave when it started happening. Sirius was trying to protect me, and he got hurt. It was entirely my fault. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

For a moment Kat thought Remus was about to hit her. But his resolve crumbled and he sat back down on the bed, his head in his hands. Kat thought she heard him crying. They all immediately found somewhere else to look: Sirius at his cactus sitting in the window, James at his Quidditch poster, Kat at her nails, and Peter fiddled with his bed curtains.

At length, Remus recovered his composure. "What in the name the name of Morgana have I done to deserve such great friends?"

"We look out for each other," James said, embracing Remus. Kat joined the hug and soon she felt Sirius and Peter join the group hug. "And now everyone knows that Kat is an idiot who stands rooted in the spot when she panics. Remember that," James said, breaking the awkward silence that followed their hug.

"Hey!"

"Now, this is a problem we need to fix. Sirius was talking about it earlier before his big, loud mouth let Moony here know that he had almost killed him," James said, beginning to pace. Sirius looked irritated, but didn't say anything. Remus scowled. "Kat needs to become an Animagus." The guys all stared at her and Kat shifted her weight uneasily. "Now, with the four of us helping her, it shouldn't prove too difficult. This way, if she's an idiot again and decides to go for a walk, ('Hey!') she won't get anyone hurt."

"If we start now, by the next full moon Kat could be joining us on the run," Sirius said confidently.

Kat smiled rather nervously. She wasn't sure if she could learn how to be an Animagus that quickly. From what Professor McGonagall had said about them in class, it was incredibly difficult to become one. The fact that a couple of fifteen year old boys had been able to accomplish it last year was astounding. Kat also wasn't really sure about not registering with the Ministry. They wanted to keep tabs on the people who became Animagi because it was so dangerous, and it was illegal to be an unregistered one. On the other hand, though, she wanted to be included in their nighttime wanderings. She hadn't realized before, but Kat was jealous of James, Peter, and Sirius' ability to transform into animals. They always knew what was going on during Remus' transformations and Kat envied them that. She would love to know that everything was going alright, instead of being stuck inside worrying until the boys turned up at breakfast the next morning. Dispelling the doubts that she had, Kat agreed to work extra hard at becoming an Animagus by next month.

Her lessons began right away. Sirius and James talked to her about transforming every chance they got. The first step was figuring out what animal she was going to turn into. They didn't really need another large animal, so Kat's brief thoughts of being a bear were put to rest. After leafing through an animal encyclopedia in the library, Kat finally found the animal that was perfect for her.

"James!" she cried excitedly, holding the encyclopedia aloft. "I've got it!" She pointed at the picture of the creature she had just found and James clapped her on the back.

"That's perfect for you, sis!"

The next step was the actual transformation. The key to everything was focus, something that Sirius was fond of telling Kat over and over again. He would get an amused look on his face and tug on her braid when he told her to focus.

"And don't freeze up and panic when you feel your thoughts change. It gets a little weird, but stay focused, and it's the most amazing, freeing feeling in the world." Kat had to snap her fingers to get Sirius' attention back. He had a dreamy, happy expression on his face that she had never seen before.

Her lessons had to take a brief halt when the week came with the Quidditch match against Slytherin. The nerves that she had experienced before the first game came back, but not as intense this time. Since she had played in one game, she thought she knew what to expect. She didn't think that she would be so wrong.

The whole school knew about the intense rivalry that existed between Slytherin and Gryffindor, but things got nasty during Quidditch season. Members of the team had to go everywhere in twos or threes because of Slytherin House's attempts to sabotage them. Amelia had given the Gryffindors strict instructions not to let any of the team members go anywhere without an entourage. Since Kat was the Keeper, she received the brunt of most of the sabotage. On the morning before the game, her copy of _The Daily Prophet _was filled with a fine brown powder that caused burns to appear on her hands. Remus took her to the Hospital Wing, and after that Kat was careful of anything that she touched. Slytherins began to leer at Kat when she walked by and a few threatened to hex her.

Aiden made his presence known on the morning of the big game. Accompanied by his accustomed gang, he sauntered over to where she was eating breakfast with the Marauders, Lily, Eileen, and Arabella and picked up the piece of toast she had just buttered.

"Mum and Dad are here, you know. They always come to the Slytherin games. Just think about how happy they're going to be when you fall off your broom." He took a huge bite out of the toast. "Or if you get hit right in the face with a Bludger. I think I would pay to see that." Aiden chuckled, the sound contrasting oddly with his raspy voice. "And then one of your boyfriends here could come save you." He gestured to all four Marauders. "How do you lot feel about sharing her, then? It must be hard, unless that's what you like."

Sirius and James stood up at the same time, flipping over the bench in their haste to defend Kat's honor. Remus gave Aiden one of the coldest stares Kat had ever seen, while Peter shook his head, disgusted. Kat motioned for the boys to sit down, and then she stood up so she was even with Aiden. She shared one thing with her brother, she was happy to see. Neither one of them was very tall; Kat could stand and see eye to eye with him.

"You know something, Aiden?" she said coolly. "If I get the chance, I'll aim a Bludger straight for your head. It doesn't matter where you're sitting in the stands. Because you'll be sitting in the stands while I'm playing Quidditch, because I'm actually good at something other than bullying people. So why don't you go sit back down with your little Slytherin friends who you can't seem to go anywhere without, and I'll even let you keep the toast." Aiden sputtered something that sounded like "Wait until I tell Mum and Dad," threw the toast on the ground, and stomped away.

Sirius whistled. "Very impressive, Kat. I thought I was going to have to jinx him into next week, but you handled that well!" Kat sat down hard and began buttering another piece of toast, trying to calm her pounding heart and sweating palms.

"Shit," James swore. "Do you really think your parents are here?" Kat shrugged and James cursed again. "But they couldn't really do anything, right? Because Dumbledore is here."

"So that little prat is your brother?" Eileen asked, disgusted. When Kat nodded Eileen wrinkled her nose. "I always knew there was a reason why I didn't like him."

Soon it was time for the teams to head out to the field. Lily hugged Kat for good luck, as did Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Arabella. She walked, with more confidence than she felt, with James and Eileen out through the Entrance Hall and onto the grounds. The encounter with Aiden had left her shaken and the thought of possibly seeing her parents at the game made Kat feel as though there was a black hole where her stomach should have been.

The rain had turned the pitch into one giant bowl of soup. The wind made it difficult for students to hold onto their umbrellas on their way down to the pitch, and Kat slipped in the mud multiple times.

"It's going to be a ton of fun, playing in this weather," James said. The rain had plastered his hair to his forehead.

They were soaked to the bone by the time they reached the locker room. Amelia's pep talk lasted longer than the last one. Through most of it, she was cautioning the team to stay calm and ignore the jeers that the Slytherin crowd was going to throw at them and focus on the game. "Don't get pulled into their dirty style of playing," she said. Slytherin was legendary in their usage of low blows to win Quidditch matches. More often than not, they tried taking out the Keeper early in the game so that the goal posts stood empty for their Chasers. In preparation for this, Amelia had assigned Magnus Mildenhall the job of making sure that no bludgers came near her.

They walked onto the pitch to the loudest roar Kat had ever heard at a Quidditch match. All the Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors were cheering for them because they all wanted Slytherin to lose. But that didn't mean that Kat couldn't hear the boos and hisses coming from the Slytherin supporters. She even heard a few choice curses that no student would dare utter if they knew that a teacher could catch them.

When they lined up in their positions, the Slytherin team leered at them. There were no girls on the team. The balls were released, and the game began. Straight out of the gate the Slytherins were out for blood. One of their beaters swung their club straight at Eileen, breaking her nose. She cried out when the bone snapped, but still scored when the penalty shot was awarded. Blood continued to pour out of her nose, mixing with the mud kicked up by the speeding broomsticks. Magnus had a more difficult job than Kat had anticipated. The Slytherin beaters and chasers worked together, neither showing up near the goal posts without the other. Five minutes in, she had to do a barrel roll to avoid becoming unseated by a bludger and Slytherin scored. Amelia was constantly weaving in and out between the players, searching for the snitch so she could end the game before things got out of hand.

Ten minutes in, Magnus swung at a bludger and knocked it well away from himself and Kat, but another one game zooming from the right. Unable to avoid the bludger and save a goal at the same time, Kat caught the quaffle thrown by the Slytherin Chaser and screamed as the bludger connected with her elbow. She felt her bone shatter and her vision went black for a few seconds. Kat could hear the crowd booing at the Slytherin Beater as she passed the quaffle, one handed, to Zachary Fletcher, the other Gryffindor chaser. A few seconds later Amelia flew by, asking Kat if she wanted a time out.

"No," she gasped. "It's fine, just get the snitch!" She cradled her right arm and continued defending the goal posts.

The match quickly turned into one of the most brutal Hogwarts had seen in many years. Eileen played through her broken nose and Kat with her broken arm, but a Slytherin chaser got a broken arm to match. James and Zachary flew like an unstoppable team. Where Eileen couldn't see, they were there, passing the quaffle, weaving in and out of players, dodging bodies and bludgers alike. They each scored four times a piece. Kat, on the other hand, wasn't having as good of a game. With only one arm working, she had to get creative when it came to stopping some of the shots. She kicked one away punched another. Somehow she managed to keep Gryffindor in the lead, 90-70. The wind picked up, obscuring her vision even more.

_I hope Amelia gets the snitch soon,_ she thought to herself as another wave of pain rolled up from her shattered arm. As if on cue, Kat caught a flash of gold and Amelia, closely followed by the Slytherin seeker, streaked passed. The whole stadium held its breath as Amelia fought for the snitch. She stretched her arm out and grasped the tiny golden ball in her hand, pulling out of a dive and holding it up to the bleachers. Hundreds of voices screamed out as one as Amelia held the snitch aloft. The students broke out onto the field, cheering and hoisting the Gryffindor winners, covered in mud, into the air. Furious, one of the Slytherin beaters aimed his club at the back of Amelia's head, but Professor McGonagall was there in a flash, transfiguring the bat into a feather and yelling at him.

Kat tried to glide slowly onto the field to join in the celebration, but the little bump she got when she touched down was too much. The last thing she saw was James running toward her, covered head to toe in mud, before she blacked out.

* * *

"She looks so peaceful like that. Let's wake her up!"

"But that's mean!" said a voice indignantly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Peter. We aren't actually going to wake her up."

"It's a good thing Dumbledore stepped in, or there could have been some major issues," said a female voice with concern.

Kat opened her eyes groggily and found herself lying in one of the beds in the Hospital Wing. She could see dust motes floating in the light streaming in through the windows. It had finally stopped raining. Her friends were gathered around her, gazing at her anxiously. Kat smiled at them and they all relaxed.

"How are you feeling?" Lily asked, taking her hand. Kat winced automatically, but there was no pain. "Madam Pomfrey fixed you up pretty quickly, but she wanted you to stay overnight, just in case," she explained.

Kat sat up. "I heard you talking about Professor Dumbledore." Her friends exchanged glances with one another. "What happened?"

"We might as well tell her. It'll be better if she finds out from us and not from gossip," said Sirius. He did not look happy. At all.

"Alright," James said with a clenched jaw.

"What happened?" Kat repeated, sitting up straighter.

"Your parents were at the game," Sirius began. "After Amelia caught the snitch, the whole school poured out onto the field."

"I remember that," Kat interrupted. "And then James came running over, but I passed out because my arm hurt so badly."

"That's not the reason you passed out," James said grimly. He sat on the end of her bed and started picking at the sheets. "Your mother stunned you."

"She was upset that Dumbledore had allowed you on the team. Your parents didn't think that it was fitting for a girl to be on a quidditch team," explained Remus. "Dumbledore was livid that she attacked you. I've never seen him so angry."

"We think he even involved the Ministry this time," said Lily. She squeezed Kat's hand and there were tears in her eyes. "I had no idea that your family was so terrible. No wonder you chose to stay with the Potters. I can't believe a mother would attack her own child."

Kat shook her head but it was Sirius who answered. "You would be surprised, Evans. Some parents don't love their children."

"They didn't have a house elf with them, did they?" Kat asked hurriedly.

"Not that I know of," James said, surprised. "Why?"

Kat took a deep breath and decided to explain everything that Professor Whitehorn had told her about the dreams she was having. The possibility of her being a Seer made Peter widen his eyes, but everyone else seemed to take it in stride. When she explained about wanting to talk to Iggy, the house elf, James let out a big "Oooooh!"

"I was thinking about talking to Gigi, down in the kitchens, to see if she had any idea about how I could contact her without letting my parents know."

"You might be able to summon her," said Remus as he started pacing. "You had a special attachment and she serves the family you belong to. No matter how hard you or your parents might want to change it, you are still a Campbell, so Iggy would have to answer you if you called."

"But let's worry about that later!" James said, hopping of the bed, his entire mood shifting drastically. "Do you know what today is?"

"Sunday?" Kat said confused.

"That's right! And time for a visit to Hogsmead! Let's go!" He started to leave.

"Wait, James. Kat has to ask Madam Pomfrey if it's alright for her to leave," Remus reminded him.

As if summoned, Madam Pomfrey swept out of her office. "Let's take a look at that arm, dear," she said and began poking and prodding Kat's right arm. She muttered to herself as she turned it every which way and finally pulled out her wand and tapped it a few times. "Looks like you've healed up nicely, but don't do anything strenuous activity with it for a while! No playing Quidditch today, I'm afraid!" After swearing that she wouldn't so much as touch a broom today, Kat was allowed to leave the Hospital Wing.

"James," said Lily. "How are we supposed to get to Hogsmead? We aren't allowed off the grounds."

"James, be careful," Sirius cautioned.

"I have my ways, Evans," James said with a wink, completely ignoring Sirius.

They wandered through the sunlit halls until they reached the third floor. Remus and Peter checked to ensure that the coast was clear before James tapped on the statue of the humpbacked witch with his wand. The statue slid open at the top and Lily gasped.

"So this is how you've always been able to get things," she said in awe. James hopped in the passage first, and in a gesture of uncommon chivalry, he helped Lily enter. To continue the effort, he even helped Kat in.

Once everyone had slid through the statue and into the passage, the group set off. The cramped, dark space made Kat feel immensely uncomfortable. The longer they were in the passage, the more she could feel the walls closing in on her. Even with the wand light coming from James and Remus' wands didn't diminish her discomfort. Just before panic set in, the floor began sloping upward. A few minutes later, they were listening below a trap door for any sound in the basement above. James signaled that the coast was clear and they unloaded into the cellar of Honeyduke's.

James waved at the man behind the counter who seemed unsurprised at the abrupt appearance of six Hogwarts students. "I was wondering when I was going to see you again, Master Potter!" the man called as they exited his shop.

"It's been so long since we've come here!" James said and took a deep breath out on the street. "I need to load up on some stuff from Zonko's."

"I could go for a butter beer," Kat said happily. Now that they were out in the sunshine, the creepiness of the dark tunnel was starting to fade.

"I'll go with you," said Sirius. Kat smiled at him happily. They made plans to meet up at the Three Broomsticks later, and the group split up. James and Lily went to Zonko's, Peter and Remus went to Dervish & Banges, and Kat and Sirius left for the Three Broomsticks.

The village was fairly crowded, with all sorts of people out doing their shopping. On their way to the Three Broomsticks, Kat and Sirius saw a group of goblins speaking in the guttural language, waving about bags stuffed full of galleons. The Three Broomsticks was crowded with everyone who wanted a quick bite to eat or a nice drink in between shopping. Sirius gave Madam Rosemerta, the proprietor, a wink and she laughed and set them up at one of the nicer tables by the window. He ordered them two butter beers and they sat back, waiting for their drinks.

After a few minutes of silence, Sirius said, "So, that was some Quidditch game."

Kat laughed at his awkward attempt at conversation. "Yes, I guess it was." They sat in silence, Kat smiling to herself, until Madam Rosemerta appeared with their drinks.

"Sirius Black!" she said as she plopped their tankards onto the table. "It's been a long time since I've seen you in my tavern." She batted her eyelashes at him and Kat found herself not liking this woman.

Sirius gave his customary bark-like laughter. "I've been busy in detention."

"That never stopped you and James visiting me before!"

Sirius made a comical grimace. "Things have changed. I've got a friend who doesn't like me going out and breaking the rules."

Rosemerta seemed to think that this friend was Kat and she gave her a sour look. "You can't be taking two of my best customers away from me, missy! James and Sirius here used to come in about once a week to visit." She sauntered away to serve other customers, her hips swinging.

Kat raised an eyebrow but before she could say anything, Sirius held up his hands and said, "Don't look at me like that! We only visited her so much because sometimes she would give us free drinks. And she's always liked our jokes."

Kat laughed. "I didn't realize that I was keeping you and James from free drinks. But still, you shouldn't be sneaking out of the castle every week."

"We haven't been. At least, not since we've met you."

Unsure how to respond, Kat took a sip from her butter beer and gazed about the room at the other customers. What she saw at a table across the room made her swear and spill her drink all over herself.

"What's wrong?" Sirius said in alarm, looking in the same direction.

"I don't believe it," Kat practically threw herself under the table. A few seconds later a very confused Sirius followed suit. "My parents are here."

* * *

**_Soooo...drama! But more drama is on the way! Who knows what will happen if Kat's parents see her at the Three Broomsticks..._**

**_~neelie415_**


	7. Disappearances

_**Recap: The** **group decided to go on an adventure to Hogsmeade and spilt up. Unfortunately, Kat and Sirius run into the Campbells at the Three Broomsticks!**_

* * *

"_What?!_"

"Yeah, they're sitting at that booth over by the bar." Kat mentally kicked herself. Aiden had even said that their parents were visiting for the game, so where else would they stay but The Three Broomsticks? "Do you think we could sneak out of here without them seeing us?" she asked hopefully.

"They'll see us if we go out the front door, but I know a short cut," Sirius replied. He downed the rest of his butter beer in a quick swig, "Are you ready for your first bout of sneaking?" There was a trace of a smirk on his face.

"Don't joke about this, Sirius! My parents are some nasty people, and I don't want them too—" Kat's eyes were wide with fear.

"'Nasty?' You obviously have never heard of my family." He poked his head out from under the table. "Besides, it looks like your mother is complaining about something to Rosie. Your parents aren't paying attention to anything else."

Kat stuck her head out from under the table to survey the situation herself. Sure enough, her mother was currently yelling at Madam Rosemerta about the quality of the food she had served them. Kat ducked back under the table but didn't feel any better. There was a giant knot in her stomach and her palms were sweating so badly that she had to grip her mug tightly so it wouldn't slip out of her hands.

As much as she wanted to tell herself it wasn't true, Kat was still absolutely terrified of her parents. After nearly fifteen years of being kept a prisoner in the dark basement, Kat had learned to fear the wrath of her parents. Kat knew that running away was the extent of her courage. She may have been able to face down her brother at school, but that was her brother. He hadn't been the one to magically seal off the door to the basement so that she couldn't get out.

"Wait," said Sirius suddenly, mercifully pulling Kat out of her dark thoughts. "I've got a better idea." He pulled something small and shiny out of his pocket. Kat stared at the piece of mirror, confused, as Sirius said, "James Potter."

"What is _that_?" she said, choosing to focus on the new object rather than her parents' close proximity. Anything to avoid those thoughts…

"Sh!" said Sirius. "C'mon, mate, c'mon…" he muttered, staring at the mirror.

A second later Kat heard James' voice coming from the mirror. "Yeeeeees?" he said with a funny accent. Instead of Sirius' reflection staring at them, she saw James. A hundred questions popped into her mind, but at the moment avoiding her parents took precedence.

"Listen, Prongs, I need you to come to the Three Broomsticks and cause a huge commotion."

"As if I need an invitation," James said with a huge grin. "I'll be there in two minutes. Wait a minute, what are you doing under a table?"

"Don't worry about it, mate, "said Sirius. "Just get over here, quick as you can."

"Is that my _sister_ under the table with you?" James wanted to know.

"Just get over here!"

"Fine, but you had better not be snogging my sister, or I'll hex you into the next century," and his image disappeared. Sirius slipped the mirror back into his pocket and sat back on his heels, apparently content to wait.

"How long have you had that?" Kat asked, deliberately ignoring what James had just said.

"Since our second year. We usually use it to talk to each other when we have separate detentions. But it comes in handy with stuff like this too."

Kat began to chew nervously on her lower lip while they waited for the big commotion that James was supposed to bring. Memories of the few times one of her parents had gone into the dank basement began swirling around her head until Kat started hyperventilating. She could feel the curses being thrown at her…feel the lingering loneliness…feel…

"Kat!" said Sirius urgently. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Snap out of it, alright?" His grey eyes pierced hers.

Suddenly, there was a huge bang followed by several smaller ones and the room erupted in screams. Kat and Sirius dove out from under the table to find fireworks exploding all over the tavern. A wizard jumped clear over the bar to avoid a large burst from a dragon-shaped firework, while a small witch ducked under her table to avoid the sparks that were flying all over the room. Smoke was growing thick in the air, but the fireworks showed no sign of letting up. Sirius grabbed Kat's arm and sprinted towards the exit along with a few of the other occupants.

They burst out onto the street breathing heavily and coughing from the smoke. Kat's eyes were watering, but whether it was from the smoke or if they were tears she couldn't tell. Sirius was shaking his head and laughing with James who was practically on the floor, doubled up with laughter. Lily, however, did not look pleased and was standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at James.

"Potter, take me back to the school _now!" _she said furiously. It appeared as though the brief period of her being nice to James was over. "You're such a git! What if someone got hurt?"

"Relax, Evans," James said, abandoning his laughter and straightened to face her. "I showed you such a great time today, even had fireworks and everything, and you're still mad at me! Unbelievable!"

"You call this a good time? All you did was buy a bunch of stuff from Zonko's . And you just attacked those people in there!"

"Don't be stupid, that was just a bit of fun."

"Don't you dare call me stupid, Potter! You, of all people, should know the true meaning of stupidity."

"At least I don't hang out with slimy gits like Snape."

"Don't forget, Potter, I'm a prefect! I could put you into detention for this!"

"And how would you do that without giving yourself a detention, Evans? Ever think of that?"

Their argument was quickly spinning out of control, but Kat couldn't see a way to stop it. She started inching away from The Three Broomsticks altogether and Sirius followed. James and Lily, now fully yelling at each other, began to follow. They bickered all the way down the street. Remus and Peter met up with them, and Sirius made the executive decision to head back to the school. Everyone agreed, except for James and Lily who were still yelling at each other.

Kat only caught snatches of their argument, things like "pig head" from Lily and curses from James, because she was still freaking out about the close encounter. She shuddered to think what her parents, especially her mother, would have done if they had caught sight of her, out of school, at the tavern. She was almost certain that a confrontation with them would have ended in some form of violence. She herself now had a bit of a history of hexing people when she got irritated with them, something that she had picked up from James. She couldn't imagine what she would have done to her parents.

Kat had to work twice as hard on the way back to keep from hyperventilating in the dark passage. She forced herself to think about what would be served that night at dinner and the essay for Professor Slughorn that she still had to write. She mentally began outlining her paper and slowly she began to relax. James and Lily had finally fallen silent. Her adoptive brother seethed up at the front of the group while Lily, breathing heavily, stayed near Kat.

They reached the end of the passage without any more drama. After checking that the coast was clear, Sirius signaled that they could climb up behind them. Lily stormed off without saying anything and James continued to be in a black mood. He made Peter carry the bags of goodies he had bought at Zonko's and Honeyduke's on their way up to the common room. It was relatively empty when they got there. Kingsley Shacklebolt was sitting in one of the armchairs reading, while head boy Frank Longbottom and his long-time girlfriend, Alice Foster sat studying together. Both looked up when the Marauders and Kat entered the common room.

"Glad to see you're out of the hospital wing!" Alice said with a bright smile when she saw Kat. "You played a great game yesterday."

_Was that really only yesterday? _It felt like years ago. She was still in a slight state of shock after seeing her parents, but she was recovering more quickly now. Kat followed the boys up to their dorm room where they dropped their stuff. Sirius examined his cactus meticulously, muttering the _Aguamenti_ spell to supply it with water. James stored away his new possessions from Zonko's and sank unhappily onto his bed, still brooding about his fight with Lily.

"Thanks for setting off those fireworks, James," Kat said as she sank onto the bed next to him.

"Don't worry about it," James said, grinning at the memory. "I haven't done anything like that in a while. I didn't realize how much it was killing me." His grin turned into a frown.

"You're right, Prongs, "said Sirius from the other side of the room. "We haven't been up to our usual shenanigans."

"And here I was hoping that the two of you had just grown up," said Remus as he started unlacing his shoes.

"Oh please. There's no way Padfoot and I have grown up!"

Before another argument could start, Kat intervened. "Do you want to know why Sirius and I needed the fireworks?"

"Was it to cement some sort of magical kiss between the two of you?" James sneered sarcastically. Kat punched him in the arm.

"My parents were in the Three Broomsticks."

James swore colorfully. "No way!" Kat nodded. "So you needed a distraction to get the hell out of there, am I right?"

"You got it."

"Well, I think I did a fabulous job with it. You're welcome," James said matter-of-factly.

"Thank you," Kat said with her first smile since the incident.

"We need to get back to pulling stuff," Sirius said sulkily, completely ignoring Kat's explanation to James. "I miss the thrill of hanging Snivellus upside down, or hanging Mrs. Norris from a chandelier somewhere. Those were the days…"

"You guys used to hang that mangy old cat from the chandeliers?" Kat asked, jealously. "I hate that bloody cat."

Peter grinned. "It was always good fun. Whenever you ran into Mrs. Norris you were supposed to do something to her. My favorite was when Padfoot sealed her in a suit of armor in the Entrance Hall. She caused such a racket…"

"Naw, my favorite was when Moony bewitched the broom to chase her around third year," James said.

Remus turned pink. "That was back when I did things so that you guys would like me…"

"We've always liked you, mate. Don't worry so much about it!" James said in a sing-song voice.

The Marauders spent the remainder of the afternoon reminiscing about old times until dinner. Kat knew from other students that they were the biggest bunch of trouble makers the school had ever seen, but from the stories they told her that afternoon, she thought that they would be the biggest trouble makers Hogwarts _ever _saw.

The Great Hall was rowdy that evening; the Gryffindors were still celebrating their victory over Slytherin from the day before, and their spirits were increased when the saw that Kat was out of the hospital wing. She received many pats on the back and "good jobs" while she went about eating her steak. She sat in between Arabella and Peter. Dinner was beginning to look like it would be an enjoyable affair until an owl swooped down and landed next to Arabella. The plump Gryffindor girl looked completely baffled at the arrival of the bird. That was, until she saw the thick, black envelope embossed with a large silver M that the bird clutched in its talons.

Arabella reached out with shaking hands to take the envelope from the owl which flapped away as soon as it was relieved of its burden.

"That's…that's what the Ministry sends out when…when…" she tried speaking, but couldn't. Instead Arabella ripped open the letter. She hadn't gotten more than two lines into it when she screamed and threw it aside. Arabella positively sprinted from the table, causing almost everyone in the school to stare after her. Not knowing what else to do, Kat picked up the girl's letter and started reading.

_My Dear Miss Smith,_

_It is unfortunately my duty as Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic to inform you that your father, Aretmis Smith was found dead this morning in your home in Winchester. It is believed that foul play was involved. I assure you that the Ministry has placed this case at the top of our priorities and every available Auror will be put on the case. _

_ Hope you are well,_

_ Antonin Dodderidge _

_ Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic_

Kat stared down at the letter, trying to process what she had just read.

"What is it, Kat?" Remus asked, concerned about the look on her face.

"It's Arabella's father," she said faintly. She turned to stare at him, her eyes wide. "He's been killed."

Lily Evans was mad. She had been irritated before, but now she was mad. Why, oh why, had she thought that James Potter had changed? _Because he was being nice to you, dingbat,_ she said to herself.

She had had to perform some prefect duties on her way down to dinner and it had made her late. A first year had blown up his homework and covered her in some sort of goo in the process. To make things worse, the first year had also gotten a pair of dragon skin gloves stuffed in his ear and Lily had had to take him down to the hospital wing after she changed into the lumpy yellow sweater that she hated.

She had been so excited when she received her letter over the summer, informing her that she was now a Gryffindor prefect along with Remus Lupin, but the novelty of it was beginning to wear off. Her guess as to why Lupin had been given a prefect's badge was so that he could exert some sort of control over Black and Potter, but that obviously wasn't working. She mentally kicked herself again for agreeing to going to Hogsmeade today. Instead, she should have docked points and told Professor McGonagall about the passage leading into the Honeyduke's cellar. Instead, she had been intrigued and decided to tag along. _Stupid. _

Lily had just reached the bottom of the moving staircases when Arabella came tearing out of the Great Hall.

"Hey, Bella!" Lily said, trying to sound happier than she actually was. Arabella completely ignored her and ran up the steps. Lily could have sworn she was crying. "Bella wait!" she called after her, but the other girl kept running. Lily hustled to catch up with her on the third floor landing.

Arabella had collapsed on the stairs and was sobbing hysterically. "Arabella, what's wrong?" Lily asked as she sank to the floor next to her roommate. Her and Arabella didn't get along as fabulously as Lily did with Eileen, but they were still friends.

Arabella stared up at her with huge, tear-filled blue eyes. "He'd dead," she whispered. Lily felt a chill run down her spine.

"Who's dead, Bella?"

"My father," Arabella said with a huge sob and buried her face in Lily's shoulder. Knowing the girl needed comfort Lily wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her. Lily sat there holding her roommate, rocking slowly back and forth while the other girl sobbed. Lily began to feel her eyes fill up with tears and soon she was crying too. Lily Evans had always been a sympathetic crier.

After a while, Arabella's sobs began to subside and, in response, so did Lily's. "What happened, Bella?" Lily asked gently.

"I g-g-g-got a l-l-letter from the M-m-m-ministry," Arabella stammered. "It said that my f-f-f-father had been found d-d-d-dead, and that they suspect f-f-f-foul p-p-play. My father was murdered!" Arabella howled and started crying again.

"This is no place for a beautiful girl to be crying!" A new voice said from the stairs below them. James Potter was just a landing below them and was standing with his hand in one of his pockets, a somber expression on his face. He had changed into a blue button up shirt that Lily thought suited him well. Then she mentally slapped herself for even noticing.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" Lily asked, a little harsher than she meant. She quickly wiped the tears from her face. She didn't want James Potter to see her crying.

"Relax, Evans," he said, cool as a cucumber. He hopped up the stairs and sat down on the other side of Arabella and pulled her into a hug. Arabella started sobbing anew and James started rubbing her back and making soft "shh" noises. "I heard, and it's going to be alright."

Lily was surprised at his gentle tone. This was a side of Potter that she had never seen before, the_ nice _side. She had thought that he was being nice to her earlier today, but that was all just a sham compared to the way he was acting now. He had even called Arabella beautiful when Lily knew for a fact that he had said, on multiple occasions, that she looked like a large, blonde potato. She supposed that James Potter had to be at least somewhat nice, after all, he was best mates with Peter Pettigrew, one of the most unfortunate and clumsy boys she had ever known, and he and his family had taken in Kat at the beginning of last year. But to see his kindness displayed as a girl got tearstains and snot all over his shirt made Lily Evans realize that James Potter was actually human, and that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't a complete and total git.

A few minutes earlier…

"What is it, Kat?" Remus asked, concerned about the look on Kat's face.

"It's Arabella's father," she said faintly. She turned to stare at him, her eyes wide. "He's been killed."

"He's been what?" James nearly choked on the lemon pie he had been munching on for dessert.

"He's been murdered, by the sound of it," Kat said quietly. James had difficulty hearing her over the sound of the hundreds of excited voices that were busy gossiping about what had just transpired.

"Aren't you going to go see if she's alright?" he asked, like it was the most obvious thing on the planet. He knew that Kat was still pretty new to the whole concept of friends, but James thought that by now she would understand when to comfort someone.

"Erm, should I?" she asked, alarmed. James saw Sirius roll his eyes.

"No, don't worry about it," he said, finishing off his pie. "I'll go." He stuffed some chocolate chip cookies into his pocket, stood up, and stretched. "I'll see you guys back at the common room later."

James walked out of the Great Hall. "Now, if I were a distraught sixteen year old girl, where would I go?" he muttered quietly to himself. "This is another reason why having that map would be so useful…"

He was just about to head outside to the grounds when he heard crying coming from above him. Steeling himself for the emotional outpouring he was sure he was about to experience, he started quietly up the stairs.

"What happened, Bella?" James nearly headed straight back to the Great Hall. Lily Evans was up there with Arabella and, by the sound of it, she had been crying as well. One thing that James knew for certain was that was probably the last person Lily Evans would want to see right now, especially with their newest argument fresh in her mind. As much as he was in love with her, he knew that Lily positively hated him. Just as he was turning around, Arabella spoke again.

"I g-g-g-got a l-l-letter from the M-m-m-ministry," Arabella stammered. "It said that my f-f-f-father had been found d-d-d-dead, and that they suspect f-f-f-foul p-p-play. My father was murdered!" Arabella howled and started crying again. James' heart went out to the girl. He had very similar fears about his own father, who was an Auror for the Ministry. The dramatic increase in disappearances and deaths had him constantly on edge, though he was careful that no one else notice, not even Kat. She didn't need to worry about losing the father she had just met. He was pretty sure that Sirius knew, but they were best mates and that was what best mates were for. Steeling himself for Lily Evans' wrath and stuffing his hand in his pocket, James continued climbing the staircase.

"This is no place for a beautiful girl to be crying!" James made a point to, for once in his life, completely ignore Lily Evans and instead focus on the poor, plump girl who had just lost her father.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" Lily asked sharply. James made a point to ignore her tears; one crying girl was bad enough, two was even worse.

"Relax, Evans," he said calmly. He ascended the remainder of the stairs with a few quick hops and sat on the other side of Arabella. The girl hardly seemed to notice that there was someone else sitting with her, she was so miserable. He pulled her into a hug. Arabella started weeping again and he rubbed her back in little circles, like his mother used to do for him when he was little. "Shhh, I heard, and it's going to be alright," he said softly.

The three Gryffindors sat on the stairs that way for some time, before Arabella's sobs began diminishing again. In preparation for this, James pulled the chocolate chip cookies out from his pocket. "Here," he said, handing one to Arabella, "time to take solace in the fact that you can still enjoy a chocolate chip cookie." Arabella dutifully nibbled a little around the edges of her cookie, but remained glum. "It is good, right?" James asked with a small smile and gave her a nudge.

"I guess it's alright," Arabella said weakly. But she took another bite.

"Here, Evans," James said brusquely, handing Lily a cookie. "I brought extra, just in case." Lily took the cookie and didn't even say anything back to him, which James thought was a surprise. "Do you know what you're going to do now, Smith?"

"What, James?" the girl said, in a complete daze. She had stopped nibbling on the cookie and instead was staring at his wrist watch. _Okay, weird…_

"You're going to go up to your dorm room and go to sleep, alright? You can worry about this in the morning. You've had a shock and your body needs to recover. Let your mind worry tomorrow."

"Okay, James," the girl said. As if under a spell, she rose slowly to her feet and started drifting up towards the Gryffindor common room.

"You should go with her, Evans," he said, turning to look at the redhead. Her long hair looked perfect, falling down her back in a long sheet, and her eyes were perfect even though they were tinged with red from crying, and her nose was perfect with all of its little freckles and her—_get a grip man! _James had to tell himself angrily. Lily just looked at him with her head cocked to the side and her forehead furrowed a little.

"That was…a decent thing you just did, Potter," she finally said. James couldn't quite read the expression on her face.

"I know it was," he said arrogantly while finishing his cookie in one bite. Lily looked like she was about to get angry again so he said quickly, "I just…I can sympathize with her. A bit, anyway. My dad is an Auror and—"

"I never knew that," Lily said, sounding surprised.

"Well you never bothered to ask, did you? Anyway, I worry a lot about him these days with all of this crazy stuff going on. Smith is going through something that I might very well have to go through soon."

"Oh," was all Lily said.

"Anyway, Evans, I'm gonna head back to dinner. You can come if you want, or you can go after Smith and make sure that she makes it back to the common room alright." He started heading back down the stairs without waiting for her response.

"Potter!" He turned, feeling the familiar swoop in his stomach whenever Lily actually deigned to speak to him. He raised an eyebrow to cover his glee at being spoken to again. "Erm, thanks for the cookie," Lily said, before running up the stairs after Arabella.

James headed back for the Great Hall thinking about how much he really loved chocolate chip cookies.

"Do I have to go?"

"Yes you do! And I distinctly remember you promising Professor Slughorn that you would go to all of the meetings!"

"But really, Lily, shouldn't we be here with Arabella…?"

"Don't worry about me, Kat," Arabella said gloomily from where she lay in bed. When the girl wasn't in class, she was laying in her bed. "It's not like I'm going anywhere anyway. Go and enjoy the party."

Kat sighed but felt like she couldn't argue with Arabella…or Lily for that matter. She had indeed told Professor Slughorn that she would join the Slug Club permanently at the end of last year.

"Okay, fine."

"Besides, we get to dress up and make ourselves pretty!" Lily said happy that Kat had voluntarily agreed to go.

"Lily, you always look pretty," Arabella said glumly from under her covers.

"Thanks, Bella," Lily said sweetly. "And Kat looks pretty too! Usually…" Lily stuck her tongue out at Kat.

"Thanks, Lil," said Kat. It had been a week since Arabella had received the news that her father had been murdered. The funeral was scheduled for tomorrow and Arabella was leaving on the train this evening. Since Lily and Kat were going to Professor Slughorn's dinner party for his Slug Club, they would miss her departure.

"Besides, you might meet some bloke who catches your fancy," Lily said as she began brushing out her hair.

Kat rolled her eyes. Lately, Lily had been trying to fix her up with all sorts of guys from all over the school. Last week, it had been a seventh year Ravenclaw and the week before that a sixth year Hufflepuff. Lily seemed determined to find Kat a guy who was not friends with James. Kat knew that she meant well (for the most part) but she thought that she was perfectly capable of picking her own new friends or boyfriends. _That whole thing with Remus didn't work out very well though…_But she was sixteen now, and figured that she could make her own decisions (for the most part) about who she wanted to see. Now if she was interested in a bad boy of sorts from Slytherin, Kat knew that Lily was a good enough friend to talk her out of it. _Not that that will _ever _happen_.

"How do I look?" Lily asked, jumping up from her bed and breaking Kat from her reverie. Lily had squeezed into a skirt that was just a bit too tight, pulled her hair into a loose bun, and put on a smattering of makeup. She had a pretty purple blouse on and silver hoops in her ears.

"Lovely," said Kat, uncomfortably noticing that Lily had put a lot more effort into getting ready than she had. Kat was wearing her school skirt and a blue blouse she was borrowing from Lily and had left her long brown hair to hang down her back.

"You look great too. Let's get going!" Lily said happily. The two girls bid farewell to Arabella who wished them a good time.

The Marauders were playing with a Fanged Frisbee in the common room. Several other students looked on as the boys ducked, rolled, dodged, and jumped their way around the common room. A few first years broke into applause when Remus pulled off a particularly impressive catch.

"Woah, Evans!" James said appreciatively. Kat rolled her eyes—she knew what was coming next. "You look good tonight." Instead of saying something insulting, Lily put on her sweetest smile and pushed past him.

"I'll be back late tonight," Kat told James as she followed Lily through the portrait hole.

The two girls made good time through the castle on their way down to the dungeons where Slughorn was holding his party.

"I wonder who he's brought in this time to talk to us," Lily said brightly as they descended into the colder corridors under the school. The torches made shadows flicker across the walls and spread out on the floor.

"I didn't know that he brought in speakers," said Kat.

"Last time it was this Ministry wizard who told us not to go anywhere along anymore," said the other girl. "It was kind of silly. He told us to be careful and 'watch out' for things, but he didn't say what to watch out for. Maybe he'll bring in a professional Quidditch player again, like he did my fourth year," Lily sighed. "There really is something about a man in a Quidditch uniform."

Kat laughed and tried not to think about what James would say if had heard Lily. Gradually, the noises of people talking floated up from below them and Kat knew that they were getting close. A few minutes later, they arrived in Professor Slughorn's classroom. Instead of the tables they normally sat at during class, a single, large round table was in the middle of the classroom with large, high backed chairs and set for at least twenty people. Kat could see the desks and chairs shoved up against the wall in the back.

"Oh good girls! You made it!" Professor Slughorn positively beamed when he saw Kat and Lily enter the room. "We can get started with dinner now!"

Kat saw a few students that she recognized. She and Lily were not the only people from Gryffindor present—Kingsley Shacklebolt sat next to Frank Longbottom at the far end of the table and Kat wandered over to join them. Gwenog Jones from Hufflepuff sat with a few of her housemates on the opposite side of the table, while a handful of Ravenclaws sat next to them. Kat thought that she recognized Vu Chang from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. The Slytherins, of course, she did recognize. Rosier, Avery, and the Carrow siblings were also at the table.

"So, does everyone know everybody else?" Slughorn asked cheerfully just as Lily slid into the chair next to Kat. There was a general murmur of consensus among the students. "Perfect!" Slughorn clapped his hands and immediately dozens of house elves appeared and began serving dinner. The chatter died down as people began eating the delicious food brought to them.

"Now I don't have anyone to share with you this evening," said Slughorn as he took a large swig of wine from his glass. "So instead I thought that we could spend the evening talking about what you want to do after Hogwarts."

"Great," Kat heard Kingsley mutter off to her right. She felt herself smile. She wasn't as afraid of Kingsley as she used to be. The huge seventh year had grown on her.

"Now Miss Jones, how about we start with you?"

The Hufflepuff shook back her blonde girls and smiled sweetly. "I want to play Quidditch, sir," she said in a rather deep voice. "Professionally."

"Ah, that's my girl!" Slughorn said, raising his glass. "Be sure to get me some tickets!"

"Of course, sir." Slughorn beamed.

"What about you, Mr. Shacklebolt?"

"I want to be an Auror, sir," said Kingsley in his slow, deep voice.

"A very noble profession!" said Slughorn. Kat saw the Slytherins all roll their eyes at this. "And what about you, Mr. Longbottom?"

"Same thing, Professor. I would like to be an Auror," said Frank through a mouthful of food.

"Very good, sir," said Slughorn, taking another sip from his goblet. "And what about you Miss Potter?"

Kat felt herself go red. _Bloody hell..._ "Me sir?"

"Yes, Miss Potter, what do you plan on doing after you leave us here at Hogwarts?"

"Erm, well I haven't really thought much about it, sir," the girl replied. She felt her face grow hot enough to fry an egg on it. "I don't know what I want to do."

"Ah, well that's alright," Slughorn said smoothly. Kat could see the Slytherins snickering. "I'll help you there, dear, never fear!"

It went on like this for a while. Slughorn would ask a student what they wanted to do after school and each and every one of them answered immediately. Kat played with the food on her plate, wishing that she had a plan like everyone else.

"Don't worry, Potter," said Kingsley's deep voice. Kat looked up in surprise at him. "It took me ages to figure out what I wanted to do. You'll get there in the end." He went back to his dessert. Kat, somewhat cheered by what he had said, did the same.

"Blimey! Look at the time!" said Professor Slughorn when he took out his pocket watch. He was considerably pinker in the face from all of the wine he had been drinking. "Professor McGonagall will have my head if she finds out I let you stay out this late! I'm afraid it's off to bed everybody! It's nearly midnight."

He bid adieu to the members of his dinner party and sent them on their way. Kat was feeling a little light headed from the wine and Lily was positively giggly.

"We can't keep going to Professor Slughorn's parties if we're going to end up like this," Kat said to a laughing Lily. The walked with Frank and Kingsley up to the Entrance Hall and started up the staircase. They rounded a corner and what they saw stopped them in their tracks. Written in huge foot tall, black letters on the wall were the words:

**DEATH TO THE MUDBLOODS. THE DARK LORD RISES**

"Did you see what it said?"

"Yeah, the Dark Lord. Who the bloody hell is that?"

"Do you think he's the one behind all of these disappearances?"

The Great Hall was full of chatter the next morning. Immediately after they discovered the writing, Frank Longbottom had dashed off to wake Professor McGonagall while Kat, Lily, and Kingsley waited below the dark words. Lily had stopped giggling and stared at the huge letters instead. Kat felt a cold shiver go down her spine and the words "Death Eater" kept running around and around her mind. Kingsley remained silent.

When Frank and McGonagall showed up, what seemed like an eternity later, they were all questioned. Kat had never seen McGonagall looking so pale and worried and soon even Professor Dumbledore was at the scene. He strode around the corridor, muttering to himself and staring at the floor, the walls, the ceiling, everywhere, looking for something. It was well past two in the morning before the Gryffindors were allowed to head back to their common room.

"And not a word to anyone," McGonagall had ordered before they left. Somehow though, the news had gotten out.

Kat thought that the Slytherins looked particularly nasty that morning. They kept shooting glances off at all of the muggle-borns at the different houses. It was soon common knowledge that Kat had been present when the words were first discovered. People kept coming up to her, some scared, some approving, asking her about the message.

"Knew you were always one of us, Campbell," a Slytherin fourth year sneered at her on Kat's way into breakfast.

"You don't think that something is going to happen, do you?" A first year Gryffindor muggle-born asked her nervously.

"Oi! Leave her alone!" James finally shouted after the eighth person came forward. "Sheesh, it's like they've never had a threatening message before!"

"It's because there hasn't been a message like this before, James," said Remus quietly. "The whole school is on edge."

It was true. There was an increase in the number of teachers who roamed the halls between classes and at night. The prefects were getting loaded with more duties, along with the Head Boy and Girl. Quidditch practices had been restricted to just a few hours and had to be finished before the sun went down (much to both Amelia and James' dismay when they had seen the announcement on the bulletin board that morning.) For the first time since Kat had been at Hogwarts, more mail was sent by the students in the morning than was received. To make matters worse, on the front page of the _Prophet _that morning, the deaths of three Ministry workers were announced, while another four were missing. Needless to say, Hogwarts was on edge.

* * *

**_I tried making this chapter much longer than the others for a few reasons. For one, I adore longer chapters and I find short ones really annoying, so I apologize for all of those awkward short ones in the past...But also, I am going on a two week adventure in England and I leave tomorrow! I wanted to make sure that I got another chapter out before I left, and I wanted to make it longer so that you all could have something to think about when I'm gone. It'll be a while before I post anything new, but the longer chapters await you if you can just hold on!_**

**_Reviews are the bee's knees! (What a fabulous phrase!)_**

**_~neelie_**


	8. A Very Dark Christmas

**_Hello everyone! I'm back! England was so amazing and I got a lot of inspiration there! I even went and toured the studio where they filmed Harry Potter. It was SO COOL. My mind was blown about a lot of stuff...anyway, here's a long chapter, just like I promised!_**

* * *

"Blimey, would you look at that!"

James let out a low whistle as he took the _Daily Prophet _from Sirius. The front page proclaimed

_**Lord Voldemort Revealed as Mastermind Behind Attacks**_

There was a picture of a skull with a snake, protruding from its mouth, hovering in the clouds over a small cottage. There was an odd hue to the gray ink and James knew it was because the figure was green in real life. The snake slithered out of the mouth as James stared at the paper, feeling as if the bottom had dropped out of his stomach.

_'Snap the wand of every Mudblood and Mudblood lover and obliviate their memories. This is the only way the magical community can return to safety. We must act in the best interests of the people,' said Teldryn Sero, the new head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. _

James didn't read anymore but threw the paper onto the table with disgust. Suddenly he didn't feel much like eating beans and toast.

The world that James Potter had known before the beginning of November seemed to have turned on its head. The whispers of a man, no, a monster, named Lord Voldemort had spread across the country as more people were killed and the skull and the snake, now known as the Dark Mark, floated above more and more buildings. At first, the killings seemed unconnected. Then it all started leaking out—John Carmichael, Sandra Clayton, Miles and Carissa Stuart, Jasper Mann, Agitha Stromm—the names went on and on. Each and every one was a Muggle-born or a half-blood.

Then, Rachel Price, the former head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was found dead in her office at the Ministry just hours after she had given a speech claiming that the Ministry would never back down and give in to terrorists. "No Muggle-born has anything to worry about, you are under the protection of the Ministry of Magic." The Gryffindors had heard her say this over the WWN (Wizard's Wireless Network) at three o'clock on Sunday. They heard the announcement of her death at seven o'clock Sunday evening. That was when Teldryn Sero had gotten the job in the panic that followed and he had been trying to enforce Death Eater friendly legislation ever since.

Death Eater. The actions of these witches and wizards truly backed up their name. Since it was announced that they were the servants of their master, whom they called the Dark Lord, they felt no need to skulk and hide their work in the shadows. The masks they wore hid their identities from witnesses and torture victims, and the Dark Mark was the staple of their presence.

The Ministry had ordered the shutdown of the Floo Network to cut down on the easy access to people's homes and had begun encouraging people to stay at home or, if they needed to venture out, go in groups of twos or threes. People were terrified.

"They can't let that pass," James said, thinking of Peter, Remus, and Lily. "It's completely mental! Does Sero honestly think that that will stop this nut case?"

"People are scared, Prongs," Remus said from across the table. He looked pale and anxious, exactly like everyone else at the school (except the Slytherins, of course). "They just want to feel safe."

"Well, my dad has a lot of influence at the Ministry. There's no way he would let that pass," said James as Kat slid onto the bench next to Remus.

"What're we talking about?" she said with a huge yawn.

"You're up late," Peter said as he poured her a cup of tea. Kat nodded her thanks and let it sit for a bit before he took a drink. Sirius unhappily thrust the _Daily Prophet _that James had dropped on the table, to Kat. They sat in silence while she read it.

"People are completely bonkers these days," was all she said when she finished. She piled ketchup onto her sausages.

"That's all you have to say?" Sirius said incredulously.

"Well what else am I supposed to do?" Kat snapped back. Sirius jumped back in surprise—Kat was rarely ever angry. "How is anything I do supposed to help all of those people who got murdered? I'm just a sixteen-year-old girl! The only think I can do is try and stay calm while the world is going bat shit crazy around us, but that is very difficult to do when complete prats like you are gallivanting about!" Kat slammed her tea down on the table so hard that she broke the cup and left to sit with the girls from her dorm room, leaving the Marauders staring after her.

"What the hell did you do to her, Padfoot?" James said in a low voice as he stared after her.

"I have no idea."

"Well you'd best figure it out soon. You have to sit by her in Potions today," said Remus as he carefully stowed the book he had been reading (Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six) in his bag.

"Maybe you should talk to her, Prongs," Sirius said nervously. "I have no idea how to talk to a bird who's mad at me. Besides, you're her brother!"

"That doesn't mean I know how to talk to her when she does something like this! I've never actually seen her so upset. You must've done something bad."

James thought he knew what was wrong, though. Kat was terrified with everything that was happening. She had lived for so long isolated from the world that she always envisioned as being wonderful and now, things were becoming more violent and scary than anything she had ever seen. James didn't want to chuck her under the Knightbus with her worries, though. For now, it was better that Sirius thought she was angry with him. He had seen the way they looked at each other and James couldn't say that he was really pleased. After listening to Sirius talk about girls and the dates he had been on with them, and the way he behaved with members of the opposite gender in general, James wasn't sure if he wanted Kat to date his best mate. The thought made him uncomfortable.

"I'll just leave her be," Sirius said with a cautious look down the table. The girls all had their heads together and appeared to be whispering about something important. Sirius turned back to his own half eaten breakfast (jam and toast) and started eating again.

* * *

"This Lord Voldemort guy sounds dodgy to me," Eileen was saying on their way to Potions.

"Oh, please don't," Arabella pleaded.

"Don't what?"

"Say his name. It gives me the creeps." Arabella shivered.

"Fine then. You-Know-Who," Arabella shivered anyway, "seems to be getting a little too big for his trousers. The Ministry will catch him soon enough and give him to the dementors."

"But no one is doing anything! The Ministry is in shock," said Lily. "They've never had to deal with something like this, and they don't know what to do. Teldryn Sero is the only one actually doinging anything and it's complete rubbish."

"I wish we could do something instead of sitting here, waiting to read about who else has died, every morning in the _Prophet_," said Kat.

"What are we expected to do?" Eileen said as they started down the steps to Professor Slughorn's classroom in the dungeons.

"Dunno," Kat, Arabella, and Lily said together sadly. They met up with Khristine halfway to the classroom. She had her arm linked with her first boyfriend of her sixth year, Rodolphus Lestrange from Slytherin. She was chatting away happily, but Kat noticed that Rodolphus wasn't really listening. In fact, he seemed more interested in her breasts which were bulging beneath her sweater.

The Sixth Year Gryffindors and Slytherins filed into the classroom and Kat found herself sitting at the table third from the back with Sirius. She felt the heat rise in her face a bit when he sat next to her and felt guilty about yelling at him during breakfast. He hadn't really done anything wrong, she was just scared and didn't know what to do. She hoped that he wasn't mad at her. After making faces at James and sticking his foot out to trip Snape, Sirius flashed her his usual smile though, and Kat felt her apprehension slip away.

Professor Slughorn greeted them all and then started talking about antidotes. "Now, today, I'll be giving a lecture on a particularly powerful potion, so make sure you take some notes!" There was a scrambling as everyone took out parchment and quills. "The Ministry keeps a close eye on the production and consumption of this potion because it can be very—er—dangerous if in the wrong hands." The longer Slughorn spoke, the less the class listened. "It is colorless, odorless, and forces the taker to tell the truth. Can anyone tell me what potion I'm talking about?" Slughorn looked expectantly around the room. James was flicking puffer fish eyes at Sirius, but he missed a few times and hit Kat instead. Peter was staring at the back wall with his mouth slightly open, on the verge of drooling. Eileen was giggling at something that Arabella had just told her. Almost no one was paying any attention. Lily, however, had her hand in the air, and Remus and Snape were copying down what Slughorn was saying. Slughorn smiled. "Yes, Miss Evans?"

"It's Veritaserum, sir," she said.

"Five points for Gryffindor! Very good, Miss Evans. Now, Veritaserum takes an exceptional amount of skill to brew, and an exceedingly long time…"

Kat stopped paying attention to what Professor Slughorn was saying. She knew that she should be taking notes, but (quite right, too) the puffer fish eyes that kept bouncing off of Sirius and hitting her were becoming more than a little distracting. She decided to shift her focus to Sirius so she could judge when she had to duck the next volley of eyes. She vaguely heard Professor Slughorn listing the steps for brewing the truth potion, and Sirius began chucking the eyes back at James. Since she was no longer in danger of getting hit, Kat let her mind wander.

She was growing irritated with Professor Whitehorn and the lack of communication she was receiving from her. Kat had hoped that, by now anyway, the Divination teacher would have found something that could explain the dreams Kat had. She had tried checking the library for some information on Seer bloodlines, but found no trace of the Campbells. There was nothing in _The Greatest Seers of the Past Five Hundred Years _or _The Dream Oracle_, and Kat was starting to get desperate. With the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort—You-Know-Who, she reminded herself—on the loose, the distressing nature of her dreams was beginning to seriously worry her. In the most recent one, she had been outside the gates of a monstrous building on a rocky island, pleading to be allowed in to see one of the inmates while dementors swooped around over her head, making her feel sick and hopeless. She had woken cold and clammy and vomited right over the side of her bed.

_Maybe I'll go talk to the house elves in the kitchen tonight, _she thought to herself to distract her from the memory of the dream. She had thought about this more than once, since the Hogwarts house elves would know if she would be able to summon Iggy, her family's house elf even though her parents had disowned her. She made her mind up to visit that night just as Sirius elbowed her in the side.

"What?" she whispered. Sirius jerked his head in the direction of the front of the classroom…

"Miss Potter,"Slughorn was saying, "I just asked if you could tell me how to differentiate Veritaserum from water." He had a slight frown on his face and Kat mentally slapped herself. Slughorn was particularly fond of her and she usually paid attention in his class.

"Um, you can't sir," she said in a half question, half statement. Slughorn nodded for her to continue. "It's colorless and odorless, just like you said at the beginning of the lesson, just like water, so it's impossible to tell the difference." She let out a small sigh of relief as Slughorn beamed.

"So you were paying attention after all then, my dear!" He boomed happily. "Exactly, Veritaserum appears just like water, which is one of the reasons why it is so dangerous. Now for homework, you will kindly research the cases in which the utilization of Veritaserum is permitted. To be turned in on Thursday." The bell rang to signal the end of class and everyone got up to leave.

"That was a close call there, Kat!" Sirius teased as they filed out of the room.

Kat stuck her tongue out at him. "Like you were actually paying attention to what Professor Slughorn was saying!" He gave a bark of laughter and shook his head. _He's quite handsome…_

Kat received a sharp poke in the back of the head and turned around to find James standing behind her. He grinned wickedly. "So what were you daydreaming about today?"

"The kitchens," Kat said. They were climbing the steps into the Entrance Hall. The Slytherins started out the doors to Care of Magical Creatures with Professor Kettleburn while the Gryffindors started off for Transfiguration.

"The kitchens," James repeated with relish. "It's been ages since we've been there. I could do with a little house elf comfort. I've been dying to have—"

But James didn't get to finish what he was saying. Severus Snape had pulled out his wand out and shot a curse at James. It missed and hit the stone wall instead. Snarling, James pulled out his own wand and shouted "_Stupefy!" _But Snape blocked his jinx with a quick "_Protego!_" By this time, Sirius had pulled his own wand out as well and shoved Kat out of the way.

"Sirius, James, just leave it!" Remus was hissing, but the boys weren't paying any attention. Students were trying to duke out of the way and dodge the spells that were flying through the hall. Kat found herself pushed up against the wall with Peter.

James gave a final cry of "_Tarantallegra!_" and Snape's feet began doing a mad tap dance. Snarling, he pointed his wand, not at James or Sirius, but at Kat. Kat widened her eyes in surprise. There was a loud _BANG _and then the Entrance Hall disappeared into blackness.

* * *

"That slimy git attacked her! She wasn't even doing anything!"

"Potter, stop shouting this instant! You were dueling in the Entrance Hall! I will not hear another word about it. Come with me."

"But Professor, she needs to be taken to the Hospital Wing!"

"I am well aware of that Black, who do you think you're talking to? Now the three of you will follow me to my office. Horace, if you would be so kind as to deal with Miss Potter?"

"Of course, Minerva."

Kat opened her eyes to find the fuzzy outline of large crowd of students gathered around her and staring down at her nervously. When she tried sitting up, her head swam and the figures spun dangerously.

"Don't sit up too quickly, my dear," said Professor Slughorn, gently laying her back down. Kat didn't protest. "Now the rest of you," he said, addressing the gathered crowd. "Off to class!" There was a great deal of unhappy muttering, but the crowd eventually dispersed. Kat closed her eyes. The disoriented shapes of students were making her feel nauseous.

"Professor, d'you mind if I take her to the Hospital Wing?" Kat heard Remus say.

"Oh, of course Mister Lupin," said Slughorn, but Kat noted that he didn't sound too pleased. She knew it was because Slughorn didn't like Remus on account of him being a werewolf. _At least I can still think straight…_Slughorn returned down the steps to the Potions classroom.

"Easy does it, Kat," Remus said, lifting her into a sitting position gently. Peter was hovering anxiously over them. "How are you feeling?"

Kat tried to answer, but all that came out was a strangled meow. Kat's eyes widened.

"Did you just—"

Kat tried speaking again, but once more all that happened was a meow. Kat saw the corners of Remus' mouth flicker up in just the slightest bit, but was grateful that he didn't say anything. Together they managed to make it to the Hospital Wing. Kat's head was still spinning slightly when they made it to the door and Peter opened it.

Madam Pomfrey was bustling about changing the sheets on the beds when they arrived. She took one look at Kat, supported by Remus with an expression like a memory charm had been performed on her, and clicked her tongue loudly.

"What's happened, Mister Lupin?" She asked Remus, relieving him of supporting Kat and taking her quickly to one of the beds. Kat sat down appreciatively and tried focusing on Madam Pomfrey.

"Well, we were leaving Potions when Severus Snape attacked James. ("Now, really!" said Madam Pomfrey.) Sirius joined in as well, and at the end of it James hit Snape with _Tarantallegra_ and Snape decided to hex Kat instead. She was just standing on the side like everyone else and…" he looked over at Kat uncertainly.

"How are you feeling?" Madam Pomfrey began examining Kat from every angle. Peter and Remus moved out of her way.

Kat tried answering, but once again all that came out was the mewing of a newborn kitten. Madam Pomfrey stopped her examination and frowned. "Can you speak?" Again, just a meow. "Excuse me," she said hurried over to her office. Kat could hear her clinking bottles together and rummaging through cabinets.

"She'll fix you up," said Remus reassuringly. Kat just looked at him miserably. "Oh, come on. It is kind of funny that you can't stop meowing," he said teasing her lightly. Kat involuntarily smiled a little. "There, see? Better all ready."

The door to the Hospital Wing banged open loudly and James and Sirius stormed in.

"That mangy git! I'm going to kill him!" James roared. Sirius looked murderous.

"That will do, boys!" Madam Pomfrey had reemerged from her office. "Be quiet or leave my hospital!" James and Sirius scowled but didn't say anything.

"Are you alright, sis?" James said, sitting on the bed next to Kat. When she didn't say anything, he asked again.

"James—" Remus started to say, a grin slowly spreading over his face. Kat glared at him, but started grinning herself. _Damn it Remus…_Peter started chuckling.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Sirius unhappily. "We've just gotten detention for a week and you guys are here grinning like idiots."

"Is she going to be okay, Madam Pomfrey?" James asked.

"Of course she will be," the nurse said briskly. She poured a large amount of orange liquid into a glass and gave it to Kat. "Drink this, dear. It'll help with the disorientation. And you should be better by the end of the day. The meowing should cease and you'll be able to speak normally again." She turned to leave. "Your friends may stay for a few more minutes and then they'll have to go to class. You can stay here until the effects of the spell wear off." Madam Pomfrey disappeared into her office again.

"What does she mean…'meowing?'" James asked, a smile starting to spread across his face too. Kat glared at him too (but didn't really mean it, honestly, the whole thing was beginning to be hilarious) and said the names of everyone in the room. Except instead of "James, Sirius, Remus, Kat, Peter" coming out of her mouth, a series of yowls and meows ensued. Sirius completely lost it. He started laughing so hard that he had to lean on Remus for support. James was in the same state and Kat could see tears start leaking out of his eyes as he roared with laughter. Kat, Peter, and Remus joined in with the laughter (although in Kat's case, it wasn't actual laughter but a series of yowls).

"Sorry, sorry, it's not that funny," Remus gasped, massaging his side.

"Don't be ridiculous. This is the funniest thing that's happened all year!" James snorted.

They enjoyed another raucous giggle before Madam Pomfrey chased them out.

"We'll be back to pick you up after dinner," Sirius promised and Kat nodded to show she understood. With a last meow, she sent the boys out of the Hospital Wing.

"Make sure you drink all of that potion, now!" Madam Pomfrey said sternly before she went back in her office. Kat obediently took a sip and shuddered. It tasted like overcooked carrots with a mix of bananas.

Kat was alone in the Hospital Wing for a while before the doors opened again and a second year Gryffindor came in with radishes hanging out of his nose. He stared with round eyes at Kat while Madam Pomfrey pulled the radishes free. After giving him a stern talking to about playing games with his wand, she told him that he could return to class and left for her office again. Instead of heading back to class however, he sauntered over to where Kat was lounging on her bed.

"You're Catherine Potter, aren't you?" He said with awe. Kat said nothing, but raised an eyebrow at him. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything. I know all about you." He sat on the edge of her bed.

_Somehow, I don't think this is going to go well…_Kat thought to herself, unwilling to disclose her meowing problem. _Pretty ironic too…meowing. Thanks Snape._

"My name is Ernie Sommers, by the way, but you can call me Ern." Kat managed to make a noncommittal grunt. "So, you're James Potter's adopted sister, right? That is so cool. The Marauders are so cool. I think you're really cool too. You should come and meet some of my friends some time. They all like you too. I mean, I uh—" Ern look flustered and the tops of his ears turned a fantastic red. Kat found herself wishing fervently that he would leave her alone. "Anyway," he said, after recovering some of his composure, those now both his face and ears were pink. "It would be great if you could stop by in the common room some time and we can just talk about stuff." Kat chose this moment to yawn and stared pointedly at the ceiling. "See you later, Catherine!" He grinned at her and tried shuffling off while still looking at her and ended up banging his knee on a stool and then tripping on a second one. It was several more awkward moments before his waved wildly at her and slipped out the door.

Flushed with embarrassment, Kat sank further into her bed and was immensely thankful that no one else had been present for the encounter with…what was his name again? _Oh yeah, Ernie Sommers_. Kat shuddered and put a pillow over her face.

* * *

She must have fallen asleep because the next time she opened her eyes and removed the pillow, the Hospital Wing was dark and her stomach was rumbling.

"Well thanks for coming to get me you liars," Kat muttered quietly and was pleased to find that she could speak normally again. She looked around the darkened chamber and noticed that curtains had been put around two of the beds and Madam Pomfrey was standing by both of them. Kat rose quietly from the bed, grabbed her bag, and started heading for the door. Madam Pomfrey hardly gave her a second glance when she passed, but Kat was stunned to see that there were tears on her face.

With a sinking feeling, Kat left the Hospital Wing and found the corridor outside dark and empty. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was just past midnight. Hurrying her pace, Kat started heading for Gryffindor tower, not wanting to get stopped by a teacher or Peeves in the middle of the night. She passed the Staff Room on her way to the tower and was surprised when she heard voices behind it. Her curiosity got the better of her, and Kat stopped just outside the door to listen.

"—believe that something like this could happen at Hogwarts," a woman was saying thickly, as if she had a handkerchief pressed against her face.

"The students should be taken home to be with their families," said a squeaky voice that Kat aligned with Professor Flitwick.

"Don't be ridiculous, Filius," Kat heard Professor McGonagall say. "Hogwarts is the safest place for the children to be with L-Lord V-V-Voldemort killing people."

"But how can we stop something like this happening again?" came Professor Slughorn's voice. "The students shouldn't be told over breakfast when something happens to their families. They should be told privately and then a watch set on them so that this doesn't happen again."

"Well, no one really expected the Anderson twins to jump off of the Astronomy Tower when they found out that their parents and older siblings were dead," said Professor Flitwick before he burst into tears.

Kat leaned against the wall heavily and closed her eyes. _The Anderson twins….the Anderson twins…_her mind jumped to the two beds that Madam Pomfrey had been standing watch over, tears in her eyes, and then to her Herbology lessons where she had partnered with Hetty Anderson over a Flutterby bush. Hetty had been so nice, so sweet. And her brother, Gerrick Anderson had always been polite to her. Kat felt her head start spinning again and took several deep breaths. No longer caring about what the staff was saying, she started walking to the Gryffindor common room again.

The castle was silent for the rest of her trip up to the tower, and the Fat Lady was awake when she got to the portrait hole. She appeared to be gossiping with her friend, Violet and only grudgingly opened when Kat offered her the password ("Godric"). The common room was surprisingly full when Kat crawled through, but almost entirely silent. Ernie Sommers was nowhere to be seen (_Thank Agrippa for that!_) but Kat quickly spotted Lily and made a beeline for her.

Lily didn't look up when she saw her but said, "Hetty and Gerrick Anderson are dead," in a whisper.

"I know. I heard the staff talking about it when I was on my way here. What happened?"

It was worse than Kat had thought. Apparently, at lunch, Hetty had received an owl from the Ministry informing her that her mother, father, older sister, and two older brothers had been killed. She fainted on the spot, and when Gerrick read the letter, he completely lost his head and started jinxing everything. Several people had gotten bruises and cuts before the teachers had calmed him down. They revived Hetty and brought the two of them to the Hospital Wing where they were both given Calming Draughts and ensured that the members of staff were there for them if they needed someone to talk to. The twins spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the halls holding hands with their eyes out of focus. When it was time for their Astronomy class, they walked up the Astronomy tower like the rest of their peers, set up telescopes and took out books. They looked around at all the other students, hugged each other, and leapt off the tower, hand in hand. No one had time to stop them.

Kat listened with her mouth hanging open. "This is all You-Know-Who's doing," Lily spat vehemently, doing a total 180 in mood. "Someone needs to get that bastard."

The crowd in the common room began to slowly diminish, and Kat had still not located the Marauders. Assuming that they were in their dorm room, Kat climbed the stairs and knocked on their door. Sirius answered.

"Crap," was all he said.

"Forget something?" Kat said, the sight of him cheering her up slightly.

"Erm—"

"Don't worry about it," Kat breezily, slipping in.

Their dorm was much the same as hers, but much messier. It was obvious that not a single one of them was any sort of clean freak like Khristine and Lily. Stray socks and ties were cast about the room and Kat averted her eyes when she found various pairs of underwear. It appeared that Sirius had killed his cactus which was still sitting on the windowsill, but was looking sad and frail.

"Kat! You aren't a kitty anymore!" James said, sweeping her off her feet in a huge hug. It was easy for him to do since he was so much taller than her. Kat noted that he held on a bit longer than he usually did and there was sadness in his eyes when he let her go.

"I heard what happened," she said, with tears in her eyes. James hugged her again, this time he held her so close that she could feel his heartbeat.

"They were so nice," Peter said thickly. When James let her go Kat could see that Peter had been crying. The other boys looked much, much paler than usual and there was a definite lack of cheerfulness that usually hung about Hogwarts' greatest mischief makers. "Is no one safe?"

"We're gonna be just fine," Sirius said defiantly. He had his arms crossed and was leaning against his bedpost. "We're going to stick together, and everything is going to be okay."

They all stared around the room at each other, a strong feeling of friendship and family emanating throughout the room. There was nothing that could tear them apart, and they all knew it.

* * *

A shocked silence hung over the school for the rest of the week. Classes were cancelled. The Anderson twins' next of kin, a shell shocked aunt arrived to collect their bodies. Professor Dumbledore had an announcement at dinner that the Ministry would be sending grief counselors if anyone felt the need to speak to someone. "It is in times like these when we feel we are at our lowest. Seeking out help does not mean that you are weak, or pathetic," he addressed the pale, scared faces in the Great Hall. "It just means that you are trying to get better."

But life goes on. Days passed and there wasn't a single death, disappearance, or threatening message on a wall. Students who felt the need to visit the grief counselors felt immeasurably better about themselves, and gradually the tension the school had experienced began to lessen. The sixth years began their Apparition lessons with no one making any progress. The three D's (destination, determination, and deliberation) did little to assist the students in any way. The professors seemed intent on assigning as much homework as possible, perhaps to ensure that students were no out wandering the school past sundown, and James and Sirius served their detentions, but were punished again for convincing a second year Hufflepuff that he had a terminal illness.

Kat awoke one morning to find that the castle was covered in snow. Overnight, the grounds had been transformed into a winter wonderland, with snow blanketing everything. The list for those students who wished to return home for the holidays was posted in the common room and nearly every person signed up. James, Sirius, and Kat, however did not. The Potters had planned an anniversary trip to Austria for Christmas and the New Year. Kat did not really mind that she was going to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas; she had never really seen the castle decorated for it and was excited to see it.

They finished their last exam (Defense Against the Dark Arts) in which Professor Prewett had developed a kind of obstacle course, and headed up to their dorm rooms to drop their bags off before dinner.

"Man, am I happy that exams are finished," Peter said happily after they had all dropped off their stuff. "I hope I passed them all."

"Of course you passed them all, Wormtail," said James arrogantly. "You're not as hopeless as people might think."

"Thanks, James," Peter said sarcastically, but he chuckled good-naturedly.

The school seemed to return to its usual good spirits as people celebrated the end of term with the going-away feast. The house elves in the kitchens had done a spectacular job preparing all sorts of dishes. Kat helped herself to seconds while the boys ate steadily through three helpings. Remus was eating more than almost all of them combined—the full moon was just two days off and he always ate more leading up.

When the last crumbs of desserts and puddings had disappeared from the golden dishes, they all sat back happily and sighed. Professor Dumbledore rose and informed them when the Hogwarts Express would be leaving in the morning (eleven o'clock like always) and wished them all a pleasant holiday and urged them to be safe. "Now pip, pop off to bed!" He declared and dismissed them from the feast. Kat allowed herself to be whisked off with the rest of the crowd as people began meandering off to their common rooms. At one point she thought that she heard Aiden make a snide comment about her off to the side, but she ignored him. She was too happy and sleepy to deal with anything like that for now.

She wished the boys a good night, hugged Remus and Peter good-bye as they would be leaving for home in the morning on the Hogwarts Express and shuffled, yawning widely, up the stairs to her bed. When she opened the door, she found Lily pacing the dormitory with a piece of parchment in her hand looking helpless. Eileen and Arabella were watching apprehensively from Arabella's bed. Khristine was busy removing makeup from her beautiful face.

"Er, Lily what's wrong?" she asked, her pleasantly full stomach dropping. _Could something have happened to Lily's family? _Kat desperately hoped not. Mr. and Mrs. Evans had been immensely kind to her during her visit over the summer and she would be very upset if something had happened. Lily shushed her impatiently and continued pacing, her eyes flying across the parchment so quickly they appeared almost blurred. Lily flipped the page over with a flourish and continued reading. Kat decided to join Arabella and Eileen. Khristine looked up just as Lily finished reading her letter and threw it to the ground.

"I don't believe it!" Lily bellowed, more angry than upset. "My own sister! I just don't believe it!"

"Lily, what's happened?" Arabella asked rather timidly. Lily Evans had an amazing temper that none of them wanted to test tonight.

"Petunia's getting married," Lily snapped, sitting down on her bed. "She's getting married, and it was my mum who told me! Not Tuney!" She put her head in her hands and it was a few seconds before the girls realized that she was crying. Arabella was the first over and she took Lily in her arms and started rocking back and forth. The other girls soon congregated around Lily's bed.

"But this ees a good this, yes?" Khristine said. "For your seester to be married?"

"No, you don't understand. I knew she was seeing Vernon, but I didn't know it was anything serious. And I'm not even invited to the wedding!" The girls all gasped. "Tuney told Vernon that I'm a witch and he lost it! Said that he didn't want anything to do with me and there was no way that he would allow me to be in the wedding. And, and, and Tuney let him!" Lily wailed.

"Want me to set his house on fire over the holidays?" Eileen asked darkly. Lily managed a watery chuckle.

"No, I'll see if I can make Petunia come around," she said miserably. "But I think I'll stay here at Hogwarts for Christmas. I don't feel much like leaving now. You don't mind, do you Kat? I know you were probably looking forward to having the dorm room to yourself."

"Of course I don't mind, Lily!" Kat said. "Of course I don't mind!"

They spent the rest of the night talking about how cruel some men could be while others could be downright wonderful, and gradually the conversation turned toward the Marauders.

"I don't understand how Potter can be so nice one minute, and then be complete dung," said Lily, shooting a look at Kat.

Kat held up her hands. "James is his own unique brand of stupid," she said. "But he isn't all bad."

"No, he isn't," Lily agreed, with a faint smile on her face.

"Remus is so sweet," Arabella sighed, making Eileen waggle her eyebrows at her.

"Ooooh," she sang, "Does someone have a crush?"

Arabella flushed scarlet and they all knew that it was true.

"That is so cute!"

"Oh, leave me alone, Lily!"

"Well, Remus isn't really the type of bloke who deals well with relationships," Kat warned her. The girls stared at her.

"What do you mean?" Arabella asked, looking a little put out.

Very briefly, Kat explained (while leaving out a few choice parts, like Remus being a werewolf for instance) the supremely awkward pseudo-relationship she had had with Remus last year. All of the girls were horrified that she hadn't told them about it before, but were puzzled about Remus' reaction to the whole thing.

"Well, it looks like you're going to have your work cut out for you!" Lily teased Arabella slightly, giving her a little nudge. Lily's mood had improved drastically over the past few hours and she was smiling again. Arabella, on the other hand, did not look too pleased.

"Now what about Black?" said Eileen. "That is one fine piece of man." Lily and Arabella guffawed loudly. "Seriously! He's so _handsome_." None of them could argue that. While James was good looking with his untidy black hair and athletic build, Sirius was downright gorgeous. At some point or another, most every girl at Hogwarts had fallen head over heels for the Black family outcast. Eileen herself had dated him for a few months back in their fourth year, and, of course, there was that memorable date that Khristine had gone on with him last year. Even Lily admitted to having had feelings for him ("It was Second Year, though! Does that even count?" she had exclaimed).

"So what's going on there between you and Sirius, Kat?" Eileen asked, giving her a little nudge. Eileen was enjoying the whole discussion on men immensely, more so in fact that the others had anticipated, for each time she said something like this, eyebrows were raised.

Kat had to focus very hard to prevent all but just a pale pink flush coming to her face, but it was enough. "Oh! You are in love with him!" Eileen exclaimed happily.

"Am not!"

"Oh, you so _are_, dear!" said Lily. "Look at the way her face is going all red. Why didn't you tell us before?"

Kat looked around at all the smiling faces and said, "Because you react like this to even the tiniest attraction," rather unhappily. The girls continued smiling.

"That is so cute. Look at how unhappy she is now!" said Arabella, even though she herself had been unhappy when she had been under the scrutiny of her fellow Gryffindor girls.

"Well it's not going to go anywhere because he obviously doesn't have any feelings for me!" Kat said, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that," Eileen said with a little warning.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" When Kat didn't say anything, Eileen continued. "He's very protective of you. You should see the way he scowls if you talk to anyone but him or James. He even looks unhappy if you're talking just to Remus or Peter! But I guess Remus makes sense now because of what you just told us…"

Kat felt butterflies stirring in her stomach and did her best to ignore them. "Well, that doesn't mean—"

"I guess," Arabella said, "he figures that there's no way for you and James—ha see! (Kat had wrinkled her nose) Because you two are related now, so he knows that nothing can happen in that direction. It's almost sweet the way he automatically hates any bloke you talk to, even if it's one of his best mates—although he doesn't stay mad at them for long."

"Bella, you think everything is sweet," Kat said trying not to sound too pleased.

"But it's true! Try picking it up the next time you talk with a bloke. If Sirius Black looked at _me _that way I'd be running as fast as I could in the other direction! But the bloke is usually _so enchanted_ with you that—hey!" Kat had slapped Eileen lightly on the arm. Kat could feel the color rising in her face. "Okay, maybe I went too far with enchanting. There's no way that any guy could like a girl whose face is the color of a tomato! Oof!"

Kat had shoved Eileen off the bed and thrown a pillow at her. The other girl used her wand to summon her own pillow and promptly attacked Kat with it, but missed and hit Khristine instead. The beautiful Russian shrieked and grabbed her own pillow, aiming for Eileen. Total chaos erupted as all five girls began having a furious pillow fight, and the air was soon thick with fluffy white feathers. Her irritation forgotten, Kat enjoyed the pillow fight immensely. They all collapsed with exhaustion at just past four in the morning.

* * *

"Oi! Presents!"

Sirius woke with a start when James chucked a pillow at his head. Disgruntled (he'd been having a nice dream that involved some serious one-on-one time with Kat that involved a little kissing…), he sat up but was immediately cheered up at the sight of presents laying at the foot of his bed. The room was empty except for him and James—the other guys had gone home on the Hogwarts Express.

The Potters had given him a handsome dark blue dress shirt and matching dress robes. Remus had given him a book (he didn't even bother reading the cover, but thrust it aside for later), Peter had gotten him an enormous box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and James had seen fit to present him with a pin up girl poster (moving of course). When he unrolled it, she started winking at him from where she lounged on a beach chair. The last present, an awkwardly lumpy one, he saw, was from Kat. Trying to ignore the swooping sensation in his stomach, Sirius started unwrapping the paper. A small stuffed animal rolled out onto his bed and his eyes widened in surprise. It was about the size of a shoe box and jet black. Upon closer inspection, it was a miniature, stuffed animal form of the dog he turned into when he transformed. _This is adorable! _Sirius thought, touching its soft fur and holding it to his chest.

"What did you get?" James said as he finished shuffling through his array of presents.

Embarrassed by the dog (for no reason, really except that it was really, _really _cute) Sirius stuffed it under his pillow and hid it from sight. A second later, James had deposited his self on Sirius' bed and was sorting through his gifts.

"Thanks for the stuff from Zonko's, by the way," James said, apparently satisfied with the gifts his best friend had received. He hopped of Sirius' bed and began waltzing by himself around the room. "D'you think Kat's up yet?"

"We could always go down and see if she's in the common room yet," Sirius said with a yawn.

"Good plan," James said and he practically flew out of the dorm room.

Sirius took the dog back out from under his pillow and looked at it fondly. He knew for sure that if anyone else had given him a stuffed animal for Christmas he would have thrown it out. But since it was from Kat…he smiled before putting it under the covers on his bed and following James out of the dorm.

* * *

When Kat woke up the next morning, Eileen, Khristine, and Arabella were all gone and it was just her and Lily in the dormitory. Lily looked up blearily just as Kat got out of bed and wished Kat a good morning and a happy Christmas. Pulling on her dressing gown (she didn't really feel like getting changed just yet) Kat performed her necessaries in the bathroom before starting on the small pile of presents at the foot of her bed. Lily had given her an interesting book (_Quidditch Through the Ages_), James a huge kit from Zonko's that included a large bag of dung bombs and a screaming yo-yo, Remus and Peter had chipped in together to buy her a pair of handsome eagle feather quills, Sirius had gotten her an enormous block of Honeyduke's Best Chocolate that felt like it was half her weight, and Mr. and Mrs. Potter (_Mum and Dad, _Kat reminded herself again) had gotten her a pair of drop pearl earrings with a matching necklace. She looked at them in shock when she realized that they were real.

"Thanks for the scarf, Kat!" Lily said happily, draping the blue scarf across her shoulders. It made her red hair look even prettier.

"Shall we head down to the common room for a bit to warm up?" When Lily nodded Kat carefully stowed her pearls in the drawer of her nightstand and gave Mr. Snowy a big Christmas breakfast of large, juicy carrots and lettuce, and headed out the door.

The room was completely deserted when Kat got there and she took the opportunity to claim the armchair nearest to the fire. Lily joined her a few minutes later wrapped up in a large plaid blanket and the two of them stared into the flames while their bodies became more alert.

"How many people d'you think signed up to stay for Christmas?" Lily said with a small yawn ten minutes later.

"I think it's just you, me, James, and Sirius. Everyone else went home."

"Oh good, some serious quality time," Lily said with false enthusiasm, but Kat thought she detected a happy undertone.

"Good morning everyone!" James said in a loud voice, jumping the last few stairs and landing with a loud thump. He appeared wide awake, in his blue pinstriped pajamas, with his glasses perched jauntily on his nose and hair sticking up in every direction like always. "Happy Christmas!"

"Stuff it Potter, it's too early," Lily said with irritation. _Maybe I imagined the undertone, _Kat thought to herself. James ignored Lily's response and promptly sat in the armchair right next to her. "How can you be so wide awake this early?" Lily asked unhappily.

"Oh, I've been awake for hours. Sirius tried sneaking into my bed earlier this morning—"

"You liar," said Sirius' unhappy voice. He had appeared on the stairs in his grey pinstriped pajamas and was running his hand through his hair which looked like something was nesting in it.

"Morning!" Kat said, perhaps a little too happily because Lily raised her eyebrows at her. Sirius returned her greeting.

"Thanks for the socks, Kat," James said, sounding a little hurt.

"I thought that they would be perfect for you, James," Kat said with a smirk. "They scream when your feet smell too much." James had a bemused look on his face before he started roaring with laughter.

"Thanks for the kit, James and the chocolate, Sirius. That'll probably last me until just past the New Year," Kat joked, knowing full well that the large slab of chocolate would take her until the end of the next term to eat. Sirius smiled but before he could say anything, James started talking again.

"Hey, since we're all awake, we should go down to the kitchens for breakfast!" James said excitedly.

"Hold your hippogriffs, James. Lemme wake up first," Sirius said with a jaw breaking yawn.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Kat said happily. It would be the perfect time for her to talk to Gigi or one of the other house elves about contacting Iggy. James allowed Sirius and Lily a courtesy wake up period of ten more minutes before he frog marched them from the room, Kat, chuckling, followed behind.

"Black, want to help me kill him?" Lily asked, not at all her usual nice self. She rubbed her eye.

Sirius yawned again. "That takes way too much effort, Evans."

"Are you sure you two aren't actually related, Kat? Because the two of you wake up at the same rate," Lily said. Kat just grinned at her.

They didn't meet anyone on their way down to the Entrance Hall. Kat poked her head into the Great Hall to see if anyone was in for breakfast yet, but it was completely deserted. "D'you think we're the only ones who stayed for Christmas?"

"Could be," James said with shrug. He led the way down the steps to a wide, brightly lit corridor. "I haven't really heard anyone talking about staying at the school. Everyone wanted to go home and spend time with their families because of Voldemort." Kat gave an involuntary shudder which James didn't notice.

They came to a large painting of a bowl of fruit. James tickled the pear which giggled and turned into a handle. Pushing the door open, James stepped into the kitchen quickly followed by his companions. Instantly, the house elves descended upon them, happily wishing them a good morning and asking them what they would like to eat.

"Banana pancakes!" Kat and Sirius said at the same time. The elves eagerly bobbed their heads and set about making pancakes. Meanwhile, the friends sat themselves at one of the tables and asked for milk and orange juice.

Now that she was fully awake, Lily looked around the kitchens with great interest and excitement. "I would be down here all the time," she said happily as half a dozen elves appeared with pitchers of orange juice, milk, and a large bowl of fruit and napkin full of toast.

"You'd lose that nice figure you have going for ya, Evans," said Sirius with a wink. Lily scowled at him and James looked like he wanted to kick him. "I'm only joking! I bet you could eat a whole Christmas pudding and not change a bit."

"Is that a challenge, Black?" Lily asked mischievously. Kat an eyebrow; this was a much different Lily than they saw most days.

"Only if you want it to be."

"Oh stop it you two," said James. "If you each eat a Christmas pudding you'll blow up, end of story."

"Oh I don't think so James—" Sirius was cut off by the arrival of the pancakes.

The house elves had taken upon themselves to add several different dishes to their breakfast selection, including bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, and French toast. They thanked the elves profusely and then dug in. They house elves kept appearing with teapots and decanters full of coffee, thrusting cups at them and then bowing away. There was a happy silence (besides the munching of pancakes, scrape of forks, and pouring of drinks) while they had their delicious breakfast.

"This is wonderful," Lily said, breaking the silence as she poured syrup over her third pancake.

James gave a loud belch before remarking. "Sirius and I have to control ourselves so we don't come down here too often, otherwise we would be massive."

"Right," said Kat with a hint of sarcasm.

"It's true!" her brother insisted.

"Oh, hey!" Kat said to the nearest house elf. He paused in the act of clearing away crumbs from the table and bowed politely. "Is Gigi here?"

"The Miss is looking for Gigi? Blinkey will bring her to you." He tripped on his tea towel in his haste to complete the task.

"What do you need Gigi for?" Sirius asked curiously as he dolloped scrambled egg onto a piece of toast.

"I have a question about summoning house elves," Kat explained, pouring milk in her tea. "Professor Whitehorn reckons that there might be seer blood in my family, and as the actual members of my family want to hex me on sight, I thought that Iggy, the house elf who is the only reason why I'm sitting here talking to you guys, might be able to help. Her family has been serving the Campbells for centuries. If anyone knows about family history, it's her."

"Is there a reason why Professor Whitehorn thinks you could have seer blood?" Lily asked.

Kat quickly explained her visit with Professor Whitehorn after one of her more vivid dreams ("Oh, I remember you waking up from that," said Lily) and by the time she finished, Blinkey had returned with Gigi.

"Hello, sirs and misses," Gigi said with a curtsey. "I am being told that you needs me, Miss?" Gigi said, turning her huge eyes to Kat.

"Yes, Gigi. I was wondering if I would be able to summon my old house elf, Iggy. I have some questions for her, but she serves my old family. My mother disowned me, so I dunno if I can summon her."

"Of course you may, Miss! As long as you is still carrying the bloodline in your veins, Miss can summon Iggy and ask her what she likes. Iggy will have to answer."

Kat beamed at her. "Thanks, Gigi!"

"Whenever the sirs or misses needs me," Gigi said, curtseying again before backing away.

"So? What are you waiting for?" James wanted to know.

Kat took a deep breath and said, "Iggy!" in a commanding tone.

There was a small pop and a new house elf appeared next to the table. She was extremely old and squinted a lot. She looked around the room and when her wrinkled face found Kat's she burst into tears.

"Iggy, don't cry!" Kat pleaded, and instantly the elf stopped wailing. She fixed her cataract covered eyes on Kat and her lower lip trembled. "I'm so sorry I left, Iggy. We're they horrible to you?"

"Iggy has never endured such punishment, but she did it gladly for the young Miss was free at last!"

Kat knelt down on the floor next to the elf and pulled her into a gentle hug, tears leaking from her own eyes. Iggy hugged her back.

"Why has Miss Catherine contacted Iggy now?" The elf asked, not taking her eyes off Kat.

"I have a question for you, Iggy," Kat began. "Do you know if there is any seer blood in the Campbell line?"

Iggy screwed her face up as she thought. "Iggy thinks that perhaps Miss Catherine's great-great-great-great-great grandmother may have been a true Seer, but Iggy doesn't know for sure. She can poke around and find out if Miss Catherine would like."

"Don't go getting yourself in trouble, Iggy!" Kat said, worried. "I don't want them to hurt you."

"Iggy will do anything for Miss Catherine. Iggy was so happy when she heard that Miss Catherine was at Hogwarts! And she has friends!" Iggy said, noticing for the first time that Kat was not the only human in the room.

"Iggy, this is my new brother, James Potter. His parents took me in after I ran away and let me stay. They even made it official with the Ministry. I'm a Potter now." Iggy curtseyed low to James who grinned at her.

"Iggy has heard of the Potters, Sir," Iggy said when she finished curtseying. "She hears that they are of the greatest wizarding families." James grinned happily.

"And this is Sirius Black, Iggy," Kat said, pointing out Sirius to the old house elf. Iggy curtseyed, but not quite as low, to Sirius. He scowled.

"I take it that you have heard of the Blacks, Iggy?" he said sourly.

"Iggy has heard many things," said Iggy tactfully.

Kat shot Sirius a just-leave-it look and introduced Lily. "This is one of my best friends, Lily Evans. She's a Muggle-born so you can't have heard of her family." Iggy curtseyed once more.

"Iggy will find out for sure for Miss Catherine if her great-great-great-great-great grandmother was indeed a true Seer."

"Thank you so much, Iggy," Kat said, giving the elf another hug. "Happy Christmas!"

"Anything for Miss Catherine," said the elf again. She snapped her fingers and was gone.

Kat got off her knees and clambered painfully back on to the bench, wiping her eyes.

"I didn't know that she was so devoted to you," James said, pouring Kat another cup of tea. "Why don't you set her free?"

"The shock of it would kill her. She's been serving for so long, and she isn't getting any younger. Iggy's family has been serving the Campbells for so long that if the shock didn't kill her, the shame would, so I can't free her," Kat said miserably.

"It's horrible, the way that they're enslaved and have to do whatever their masters tell them," Lily said unhappily.

"Don't go forming ideas about freeing them! Not all wizarding families treat their house elves like garbage, you know," James said defensively. Hoping to circumvent an argument, Kat suggested that they head out to the grounds for a snowball fight. James and Sirius happily agreed, and Lily agreed only slightly less heartily.

Thanking the house elves once again for their wonderful service, the group somehow managed to climb the stairs to the Entrance Hall (had there always been that many stairs?) and stared up depressed at the number of stairs that were still between them and the Gryffindor common room.

"We should've changed and brought our cloaks with us to breakfast," James said grumpily.

Lily shrugged her blanket on a little higher, adjusted her scarf and pulled out her wand. "_Accio cloaks!_" They soon heard the sound of four cloaks speeding towards them and four black cloaks deposited themselves on the floor in front of them soon after. After rummaging through the pile to find her own, Kat happily draped her cloak over her dressing gown and waited for everyone else to do the same. Still clad in their pajamas, they marched out the front doors onto the winter wonderland of the grounds.

In a furious snowball match of boys versus girls, Lily surprised them all by proving to be the best snowball fighter any of them had ever seen. She could form and throw snowballs faster than the rest of them and had deadly aim, to say nothing of the force she could throw them with. Kat was absolutely delighted that she had Lily on her team. Two hours later, they stumbled back into the castle, soaking wet and in great spirits to change into dry clothes before taking advantage of the empty common room by making as much noise as possible.

Kat and Lily had set up the biggest card house they had ever built out of Exploding Snap cards. The base of it took up almost the entire common room floor in front of the fireplace. It was doubly hard to keep it standing because James and Sirius were busy setting off fireworks.

"I wonder what dinner what dinner is going to be like," Kat mused while she carefully put a card on the last level of their card house.

"It'll probably be something like—" Lily didn't get the chance to finish. With the force of a small bomb, their card house exploded, throwing them all back a few feet. Bits of the singed cards floated around the common room.

Kat started laughing from where she lay sprawled on the rug. She hadn't felt so carefree in weeks.

"I vote you don't build that again," James said, massaging his head where he had cracked it on the wall.

"I agree," said Lily. She'd been blown back into an armchair that had been pushed back against the wall. Sirius reappeared from underneath a table. They spent the rest of the time leading up to dinner playing Gobstones, which Sirius ended up winning. Then, they changed into their school robes (they couldn't very well go down to dinner where Professor Dumbledore was going to be, still wearing their pajamas) and headed down to the Great Hall for dinner.

Even fewer students and teachers had stayed behind than they thought. When they entered the Great Hall, there was just a tiny table set for ten. Including themselves, only ten people had decided to spend the Christmas holiday at Hogwarts. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Prewett were already seated, along with Madam Pomfrey, a second year from Ravenclaw, and a sixth year from Hufflepuff when the Gryffindors arrived. Warm, dry snow was falling from the ceiling and settling comfortably on the twelve magnificent Christmas trees that decorated the Hall.

"Ah, we are all here now," said Professor Dumbledore. "It seemed silly of us to use the House tables when there are so few of us." He gestured for them to sit down.

The lack of people didn't stop the house elves from cooking up an enormous amount of food, however. The tiny table creaked under the weight of all the delicious dishes that the elves had concocted, desserts and main courses served at the same time. With a swift glance at each other, Lily and Sirius immediately grabbed a Christmas pudding and began devouring it. Kat caught James' eye and they both grinned. Professor Dumbledore began doling out large amounts of mashed potato onto everyone's plate and Professor McGonagall began discussing grading papers with Professor Prewett.

"Now, now, Minerva," Dumbledore chided, "It's Christmas! We all deserve a break from all things school related. Talk about something else. Lamb chops, Bryan?" Dumbledore asked the second year Ravenclaw who looked mortified.

Silence fell as they all set about stuffing their faces with the delicious Christmas feast. Even Kat and James managed second helpings of everything and they were still stuffed from breakfast. Lily appeared to be slowing down in the destruction of her pudding, but Sirius was still plodding along.

"So, what excellent bout of rule breaking have you been up to recently, James?" Professor Dumbledore asked politely as he took a sip of cider.

Kat's jaw dropped, but James answered amiably, "Oh, Professor, you know that I never break any school rules!" Dumbledore chuckled and continued munching on his lamb chops.

Lily finally threw in the towel with her Christmas pudding, massaging her stomach. "Ooh, I don't think I could take another bite of anything!" James thrust a deep dish of shepard's pie at her and she stared at it for a bit before scooping some out to eat. James chuckled at her.

"Thanks for the dog," Sirius whispered in Kat's early softly while everyone was occupied with their dinner.

Kat beamed at him. "I'm glad you like it! Although, I have to admit, I was a little nervous that you weren't going to like it."

"I think it's adorable."

"What's adorable?" James said loudly, causing Kat to jump.

"Now, now, James," said Dumbledore happily. "Mister Black obviously said something of extreme importance to your sister and he would appreciate it if we all pretended not to notice."

James looked suspiciously between Sirius and Kat before being distracted by the cracker that Dumbledore had held out to him to pull. It exploded with a bang and a rubber chicken and flowered bonnet spilled out onto the table.

Kat felt the heat rise into her face and quickly busied herself with chasing peas around her plate with her fork. Sirius gave her a nudge and smiled at her when she looked up. She felt a little less embarrassed. She ended up pulling crackers with Lily (receiving a new set of Gobstones and new Exploding Snap pack) and Bryan, the second year Ravenclaw (revealing several live white mice) before she began to feel exhausted. Professor Dumbledore seemed to think that it was a good time for them all to head to bed.

"Thank you all for an excellent feast," he said, standing up and stretching. "But I must be getting to bed. I was up much too early this morning due to a full bladder…" he excused himself from the table. Taking his cue, the rest of the diners stood up to leave. Lily groaned loudly, nursing an extremely full stomach; Sirius was acting much the same way. Kat looped arms with Lily, bid the professors a good night, and began steering her friend up to their dorm room. Loud joking coming from behind told her that James and Sirius were following. When they arrived at the portrait hole, however, the Fat Lady was nowhere to be seen.

"You have got to be kidding me," Lily moaned, leaning against the corridor wall and sliding down to sit on the floor.

"I'll go see if I can find her," James said and jogged off left down the corridor. Kat sat down next to Lily and rested her head on her friends shoulder, yawning widely. She was beginning to feel sleepy from all the food she had eaten that day, combined with the snowball fight.

"So I guess I won the competition, Evans," said Sirius triumphantly. "I ate more Christmas pudding than you did!"

"Congratulations," Lily said unhappily. "You made me ruin my Christmas dinner." She made a face.

"Oh, don't be a sore loser, Lil," Kat teased. "I saw you eating after you gave up finished the pudding. We've all had way too much to eat today."

Before they could get too much further in their conversation, James reappeared with the Fat Lady following him through the portraits along the wall. She was unhappy—James had pulled her away from her own Christmas party to let them into the common room.

"Godric," Kat said with a yawn.

"Yes, yes, inside quickly," the Fat Lady snapped. "And don't plan on coming back out, because I won't be here to let you back in!" They filed in through the portrait hole and the Fat Lady closed it with a snap.

"Well, I'm definitely going to hit the hay," Kat said with a yawn.

"Now, that's not very nice," said Sirius. "What did the hay ever do to you?"

"Ha, ha," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. "Good night, everyone!" She wasn't half way up the stairs when she heard Lily coming up behind her.

"Today was fun," Lily said before falling onto her bed. "I didn't realize how much fun James and Sirius were."

"Yeah, they're a lot of fun," Kat said with a smile. It appeared that James was back in Lily's good graces. "Good night, Lily," said Kat as she slipped on her pajamas.

"'Night Kat…" Lily said sleepily and Kat knew that she was already asleep.

Thinking over how great of a day it had been, Kat smiled and climbed into bed. She had seen Iggy again, and Iggy was going to see if Kat had any Seer ancestors. She had received some excellent Christmas presents, and Sirius had liked the present she had given him. To top it all off, Lily seemed perfectly cheerful with James again. It had been a good day.

She should have known it was too good to last.

* * *

**_Was it worth the wait? Please let me know! There will probably be longer intervals in between postings now because I am going to try to make them all around this length. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
_**

**_Reviews are the sunshine to my daisies. (Does that make sense?)_**

**_~neelie_**


	9. Flight of a Falcon

"I'm sorry Kat, but I can't tell you."

"James, you can't just not tell me where you're going!" she pleaded desperately. James looked more stressed out than she had ever seen him. There was a slight tremor in his voice and dark bags under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in days. He looked like a man who was living on the edge, doing whatever he could for his little family.

"It's too dangerous and you know that," her handsome brother hissed quietly. James Potter was standing in a living room with a squishy beige carpet holding a small blue bundle. The remnants of Kat's lunch were scattered across the table and a chair had been knocked over in her haste to answer the door; she hadn't bothered fixing it. The baby turned over in his sleep. "He's after us. We have to go."

Kat stretched her shaking hand to touch the child one last time. She smiled as Harry's tiny nose crinkled. "James," she murmured. "I don't know what to say." She had only really just gotten to know little Harry, the way he smiled when he saw her, the way his little hand would curl around her finger.

James stepped forward and gave her a hug, careful not to crush the precious burden he carried. "I brought him over so you could see him one last time. Dumbledore says it's for the best, and I trust whatever Dumbledore says." He pulled her face close to his and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Everything is going to be fine," he lied. Kat knew it too.

"Stay safe," she said in a hoarse whisper. "For all our sakes, stay safe." She gave the little baby a kiss and pulled her brother in for one last hug.

"I'll still be able to write, just not as often. Dumbledore says it'll draw too much attention, and I agree. I just wish he hadn't taken my cloak."

"Your invisibility cloak?" she asked.

"Yeah, he said he wanted to take a look at it," James' shoulders slumped and Kat could tell that the loss of his cloak had hit him hard. "Lily gave it to him without asking me…she said that it would be too much of a temptation anyway," James said with a shrug. "She's probably right." He made a brave attempt at a smile.

"Will I be able to visit you?" Kat asked desperately, eyes searching his face.

"No."

* * *

Kat woke up to find her pillow soaked and a tear trickling down the bridge of her nose. Her mind replayed the contents of her dream over and over again, each detail etching itself onto her brain.

_Harry. James and Lily are going to have a baby boy and name him Harry. _

Or were they? Kat still didn't know for sure if her dreams were actually real. Perhaps she had an over active imagination, or maybe it was just wishful thinking. But what sort of wishful thinking brings about this much pain?

Kat wiped the tear from her face and sat up, staring miserably at her curtains. She wrenched them open and saw that it was still dark in the dormitory. She pulled her long hair back from her face in a messy bun and put her head in her hands. _I don't think I can deal with this anymore. _

She crept silently from bed, pulled on her dressing gown, and tiptoed past Lily's bed. She knew that Lily would want to comfort her if she could see how upset she was, but Kat just wanted to be alone. She paused briefly to readjust her dressing gown and then headed down the stairs to the common room. The stars twinkled brightly at her from beyond the frost covered windows and Kat was looking forward to sitting in front of the remnants of the fire. Then she could think through what she had seen in her dream, or try to forget it. She thought of little Harry and her eyes filled with tears again. _I cry too much_, she told herself. Kat was so focused on what was going on in her mind that she didn't bother checking to see if the common room was empty. After all, it was only her, Lily, James, and Sirius in the whole tower. What were the odds that someone else would be in the common room?

The room was not empty, however. James was sitting in an armchair staring into the small flames. He looked up when he heard Kat on the stairs.

"I couldn't sleep," he said, wrinkling his nose. Kat attempted to hurriedly brush the tears away, but James was already there, stepping toward her. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked softly. When she didn't respond the corners of his mouth twitched in a bit of a smile. "Did you have a dream that you didn't have to deal with stupid prat for a brother?" he teased. Kat slid to the floor and started sobbing. "Woah, hey!" James said in alarm, kneeling down in front of her. "What's wrong?"

"J-James, you're such a prat!" She punched him in the arm none too gently.

"Ow! Wait, did you have another dream?" James asked softly, his whole demeanor changing. Kat nodded. "What was this one about?"

Kat pulled him close in a hug and whispered in a voice quite unlike her own, "_Don't give him the cloak_."

James pulled away, one eyebrow raised. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"What is what supposed to mean?" Kat snuffled into his shoulder. She felt better now that James was here with her. She even felt a bit sleepy, like she could fall asleep if she stayed just where she was.

"What you just said. 'Don't give him the cloak.' Don't give who what cloak?" James held her out at arm's length and surveyed her with growing concern.

"James, I didn't say anything," Kat insisted, growing annoyed.

James gave her one last quizzical glance before standing and pulling her upright saying, "Let's get you closer to the fire and warm you up." James seemed to cheer up when she didn't protest and he deposited her carefully in the armchair closest to the fire.

Kat began rocking back and forth in her chair with her eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the fire. Her mind was blissfully blank which was surprising. Since she had climbed down the stairs, the only thing she remembered was being led over to the armchair. On a normal occasion, that would have scared her, but she was too busy enjoying the warming sensation of the fire to notice. She didn't even notice the anxious look on James' face as he sat in the chair next to her.

"You need to talk to this Whitehorn lady again as soon as term starts up," he said.

"Whatever you say, James," Kat said blissfully. "Whatever you say." She caught James staring at her and he quickly looked away.

"Are you alright?" He asked again.

Kat frowned. "I'm fine James." She pulled her dressing gown tighter around her shoulders.

James didn't say anything else for a while and they sat in silence, both staring at the flames.

"I got an owl from Mum and Dad," James said suddenly. Kat looked up in interest. "They made it alright to Austria, but Dad's sick." Seeing the look of concern on her face, he hurried on. "Mum says it isn't anything too serious, just a cold or something."

"I hope they have a good time."

"They definitely will! Dad is a crazy partier!" James said laughing. He launched into a story about a New Year's party when Mr. Potter conjured a parakeet and did a choreographed dance with it. Kat and James were soon breathless with snorts of laughter.

"I'm so glad your parents let me stay," Kat said, sobering a bit. She couldn't imagine what would have happened to her if the Potters hadn't come home as she used their bathroom, or if they had turned out to have the same mindset as the Campbells.

"You mean _our _parents. And I knew they would! Besides, mum always says that she wishes I were a girl. You should see some of the pictures she's got of me as a baby and the things she put me in…"

Kat listened to the James' childhood stories for the rest of the night. The two of them fell asleep in their armchairs sometime before dawn.

"Oi! What do you two think you're doing?" Sirius' voice cut through Kat's concentration like a knife.

"What does it look like we're doing?" She said irritably, pointing at the table that was littered with bits of parchment, books, ink, a broken quill, and a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. Kat and Lily had decided that today they would make some progress in the huge amount of work that had been assigned to the Sixth Years over the holidays. Both girls had already finished their Herbology homework and had practiced filling goblets with water for Charms. Lily was scribbling away feverishly at her own Defense essay and had ignored Sirius.

"It looks like you two are doing bloody homework!" said James, joining his best mate next to the table. Kat rolled her eyes and returned to her essay. Professor Prewett had instructed them to write an essay about the effects and signs of the Unforgivable Curses and what to do if faced with them. Kat had a nasty feeling that he was trying to prepare them for what could happen outside of school.

"How very astute of you, Potter," Lily said, not looking up from her parchment.

"But Christmas was only a few days ago! We still have at least a week of vacation before any of that is due!"

"Well maybe I want to enjoy my last few days of break while you and Black are in here scrambling over homework," Lily snapped. Kat shook her head but continued writing. James and Sirius should have known better than to talk to Lily while she was working. Lily Evans was notorious for telling people off when they interrupted her studying or homework time.

James laughed. "Evans, I hope you don't actually expect _me _to be doing homework? I'll just give some excuse and then Prewett will still give me full marks."

It was Lily's turn to laugh. "You can pull that garbage with Professor Slughorn, but not with Prewett."

Kat did her best to tune out the rest of the argument that ensued. She quickly consulted her textbook before writing down more information on _Avada Kedavra_. She felt slightly ill as she described the intent that had to be behind the wand performing the curse.

_It takes a great deal of willpower to perform an Unforgivable Curse. _Avada Kedavra, _otherwise known as the Killing Curse, requires the greatest amount of determination to perform. The attacker must wish, with all their might, that the person on the receiving end of the curse will die. _

It was beginning to feel quite warm in the dormitory. Kat unbuttoned a button on her blouse. She felt sick.

_There is no known countercharm or protectant that will cancel out the Killing Curse. _

Kat blinked, trying hard to stop her mind from wandering through a bizarre scene. She kept seeing a small cottage with a cat running through the garden, hearing the snap of a cloak in the wind, seeing children dressed up in Halloween costumes skipping across the street…

_The victim will appear completely clear of any sort of marking or other obvious cause of death._

A man's voice was in her head… "Take Harry and run!" it said. "I'll hold him off!" Footsteps…people running…cold, high pitched laughter…

_Slap! _Kat's eyes jerked open and took in the view surrounding her. She was lying on the floor in a cold sweat. Lily was kneeling next to her, eyes wide with her hand raised and Kat surmised that Lily had been the one to hit her. James and Sirius were staring down at her, both looking impossibly tall, with concerned expressions. Kat could see the chair she had been sitting in lying on its side—it had be knocked down when she fell to the floor.

"Kat!" Lily breathed in relief. "Are you alright?"

"I need to see Professor Whitehorn," Kat mumbled, trying to get to her feet.

Lily pushed her gently back down. "You know Whitehorn isn't here, Kat. She won't be back until term starts again."

"Madam Pomfrey then." Again Kat tried sitting up and this time Lily didn't stop her. Now that she was on the floor, her head felt quite normal and the sick feeling gone. "This can't keep happening. I don't think I can take much more." She pushed her hair out of her face, feeling annoyed with it. _Since when was it so long? _"I'll be back," she stood to leave, but her legs wobbled. Sirius caught her shoulders.

"I'll take you," he said and started steering her towards the portrait hole. Kat didn't resist. Hopefully, Madam Pomfrey would know what to do, or at least give her something to numb the pain or get rid of the dreams. Kat remembered hearing something about a potion that gave you a dreamless sleep…where had she heard it from?

Sirius navigated the corridors rather quickly with Kat trailing obediently along behind him. The only person they came across on the way down was Nearly Headless Nick. He said hello to them both before floating off in the opposite direction.

"Merlin's beard, this is such shit," he said unhappily.

"What is, Sirius?" said Kat automatically. She could feel her brain struggling to focus and it was taking all of her strength just to put one foot in front of the other. The closer they got to the Hospital Wing, the less willing Kat felt to tell Madam Pomfrey what had happened. _People had weird views on Seers, right? _

"You and these…these _visions_! It's not healthy!"

"I can't help it Sirius. You know I can't," Kat said wearily. "And Whitehorn isn't helping either."

"Stupid, mangy—"

"Sirius!"

"Well, sorry, but she's a teacher! She's supposed to be helping you, but all she did was give you a teeny bit of hope by saying that she'll help you, and she hasn't done anything at all since! You haven't even seen her!"

Kat didn't respond. She let Sirius rant on some more about the unfairness of it all. His indignation on her behalf made her stomach do little flips, even in her bedraggled state. When he asked her what she kept seeing, she didn't answer. _There are some things that I won't tell, even to my best friends. _

Madam Pomfrey was in her office when they made it to the Hospital Wing. Sirius sat Kat down on a bed and gruffly said, "I'll go get her." Kat stared up at the ceiling while she waited.

"I should have known," said Madam Pomfrey when she arrived. "What is it this time Miss Potter?"

"I had a nightmare," Kat said. She saw Sirius' eyes narrow. "I haven't been sleeping well lately because of them. I fell asleep while I was doing homework and I had another. Is there something I can take with me to the dorm so I can sleep?" _Lying won't make it go away, stupid._

"I can't let you take anything with you," the nurse said. She was appraising Kat. _She knows I'm lying. _"You'll have to come here every night just before curfew to take the Sleeping Draught. I can give you a small dosage now so you can take a nap if you want, but it will make sleeping tonight more difficult." She pursed her lips and waited for Kat's response.

"I'll take some now, please."

Madam Pomfrey nodded. Within five minutes, Kat had taken the potion and Sirius had been given instructions to pick Kat up just before dinner. Just as she closed her eyes, Kat thought about how lucky she was to have such great friends.

* * *

The start of a new term was always an exciting time. After the castle being so empty over the holidays, it seemed more crowded than usual when the rest of the student body came back. The return feast was better than Kat remembered it being the previous year. Once again the Great Hall was filled with the raucous sounds of laughter and conversation, instead of the slightly dismal sound of only a handful of people eating under the enchanted ceiling. Peter was telling delightfully funny stories about his visit to his aunt's house, and even Remus had a funny story to tell about his mom's new boyfriend. Arabella and her mother had gone on a much needed getaway to the Straits of Gibraltar, and Eileen had visited her American cousins in Boston. Kat didn't get a chance to talk to Khristine because she was sitting over at the Slytherin table with Rodolphus. Everyone managed second helpings and James and Sirius had fourths.

The common room that night was loud and rowdy. Kat was enjoying it until Ernie Summers and his friends appeared. She ignored his furious waving and gestures to the join them and decided that now was a good time to head down to the Hospital Wing for her dream potion. She told Lily where she was going and then slipped out into the much quieter and cooler corridor outside.

Kat decided to take her time on the way down to see Madam Pomfrey. She took a roundabout route and strolled slowly through the halls. Occasionally passing through a tapestry and jumping trick stairs. She was staring out a frosty window, gazing at the stars when she ran straight into something rather solid.

"Oof! Oh, sorry Professor!" Kat had run straight into Professor Prewett.

"That's quite alright, Miss Potter," Prewett said. He looked a little disheveled, but Kat assumed that that was because she'd almost run him over. His handsome face had more lines in it than Kat remembered him having before the holidays and he looked thinner. Professor Prewett did not look like he had gotten a very restful holiday. "What are you doing wandering around this time at night?" Kat didn't want to get in trouble so she told him the truth. "I see," he said, looking at her in interest. "Well I hope the potion helps you sleep, Miss Potter."

"Thanks, I do too."

He turned to go but something made him stop. "Catherine," he said in a much quieter voice.

"Yes?"

"You should…just, be careful. It's getting bad out there."

Kat didn't need to ask him what he was talking about. News of more deaths had been published in the _Daily Prophet_. Kat felt as if a stone had just settled in her stomach. If the teachers were getting nervous, things couldn't be good.

Madam Pomfrey was waiting with a goblet full of the dreamless sleep draught. Kat took it quickly and thanked her. Planning on heading right back to the dormitory, Kat decided to take a more direct path back. A few minutes later, Kat was wishing that she had gone the long way.

Peeves the Poltergeist was rocketing around the corridor, spattering the walls with tangerine colored paint. Occupants of the portraits hanging along the walls dove out of the way of Peeves' large paintbrush, screaming. The poltergeist was cackling loudly when he turned around and saw Kat.

"Ooooh! It's Kitty!" he sang. "A kitty kitty kitty cat!"

"Knock it off, Peeves!"

"Oh, knock it off, sweet kitty, kitty? I'll knock it off!" Peeves swooped low right over her head and upended his paint bucket. Kat shrieked as the paint slopped all over her. Wiping paint from her eyes, she drew her wand. Before she could use it, however, someone else came to her rescue.

"PEEVES! Don't make me go get the Bloody Baron!" Frank Longbottom, Head Boy, had come around the corner just in time to see Kat get drenched in orange paint. Peeves blew a loud raspberry and shot off down the hall, still snickering madly.

"Thanks, Frank," Kat sputtered heavily through the thick paint. She tried wiping it out of her eyes but only managed to get more paint on her face.

"Here, let me get that," Frank said kindly. He whipped his wand out and vanished all of the paint.

"Thanks, Frank," Kat said again, much happier this time.

Frank frowned when he saw how much paint was spread across the hallway. The witches and wizards began filing back into their picture frames, some of them sporting orange hats or noses. One unfortunate wizard now had several feet of bright orange beard. "This is going to take some cleaning up."

"I'll help you."

Together, Kat and Frank managed to vanish the majority of the tangerine paint from the floor and the walls. The unfortunate paintings that were assailed would have to wait until the caretaker could take a look at them.

"So why are you wandering around the corridors at this time?" Frank asked as they started back to the Gryffindor common room.

"Needed a sleeping potion," Kat said with a huge yawn.

"I can see it's working," Frank said with a laugh.

"Password?" The Fat Lady said when they had made their way up the tower.

"Er—" Kat said, looking at Frank. The Fat Lady had changed the password that evening and Kat had forgotten to ask Lily what the new on was.

"Relax, I got it. Quaffle," Frank said.

"Quite right," said the Fat Lady as she swung open to let them in.

Kat thanked Frank again for saving her from Peeves, sidestepped Ernie Summers again, and treaded upstairs to finally get some sleep in the dormitory.

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Professor? Professor Whitehorn?" No answer. "Are you in there? It's Catherine Potter." Still no answer. _Knock, knock, knock. _"PROFESSOR!"

Every day since term had started Kat had been climbing her way up the Divination Tower during break to see Professor Whitehorn. The only problem was that Professor Whitehorn was never there. Kat would pound on the door, but there would be no answer. Today was the fourth day that she had made the journey and she was beginning to be severely irritated. Madam Pomfrey's Sleeping Draught helped at night, but sometimes during the day thoughts or images came unbidden to her mind. Professor Whitehorn's initial advice to empty her mind before she went to sleep was practically irrelevant now that Kat was taking the Sleeping Draught. What Kat really needed was some sound advice from an actual Seer, but she doubted that the Divination professor could help her with that. From what the books from the library had told her, Kat gathered that true Seers were exceptionally rare.

She tried once again to get Professor Whitehorn to answer her. _Bam, bam, bam! _"Professor Whitehorn, _please!_" Still no answer. Throwing her hands up in frustration, Kat began the long trek back down the tower and out onto the grounds to Herbology.

"Any luck?" James asked over the sound of Honking Daffodils when Kat turned up in greenhouse six. Kat had always liked these daffodils that Professor Sprout was so fond of. Today, however, the Sixth Years were supposed to be carefully pruning Valerian sprigs which had the uncomfortable habit of putting people to sleep if they decided to clip a thick stem.

"Nothing," said Kat glumly. She pulled on her dragon skin gloves and brandished a pair of clippers.

"Be very careful with these now, chaps!" Professor Sprout called from the front of the greenhouse. "They're used in The Draught of Living Death, so they can knock you out easily!" Right on cue, poor Arabella off her stool, snoring.

More discussion on Professor Whiterun's refusal to see Kat was put off until later. Kat didn't want to risk ending up like Arabella, and neither did James. Sirius, on the other hand, didn't seem to care what he was doing.

"A little of the top," he would say and a large chunk of the bush would come tumbling down. "That's the ticket!" Kat, Remus, James, and Peter all laughed uproariously when Sirius slumped unconscious off his stool. Professor Sprout told James to seize him by the ankles and drag him over to where Arabella was snoozing by the door.

"We'll wake them up when class is almost over!"

Peter and Remus took their time trimming their shrubbery and, as a result, were the first ones finished. They chatted with James and Kat while they waited for the rest of the class to finish. Although, in reality, Kat and James were too busy trying to focus to really pay much attention to what they were saying.

"You wouldn't believe what his hair looks like," Remus said, snorting in a rather un-Remuslike way. "My mum's new boyfriend, I mean. It's this nasty look where it's longer in the back than it is in the front. 'Business in the front, party in the back' he kept saying." Peter sniggered loudly. "I give him less than a month before Mum's through with him."

The deep, booming bell sounded out across the grounds and there was a scrambling as everyone shoved their gloves into their bags and started for the door. There was a tense moment when Arabella and Sirius were in danger of getting trampled before Professor Sprout swooped down and revived them. Sirius had to endure the teasing of his mates all the way up into the castle for lunch. Arabella was spared the teasing due, in part, largely to Lily telling people off.

Kat was filling the Marauders in about the most recent disappointment with the seemingly useless Divination teacher when an owl swooped down from the enchanted ceiling and dropped a letter in James' lap. He looked at it quizzically before offering his goblet of pumpkin juice to the weary owl, which hooted in thanks before dipping his beak. James ripped open the envelope as the bird took flight once more. His face paled.

"It's from Mum," he said, eyes scanning the page. "They made it alright home from Austria, but Dad's still sick. She's taking him in to St. Mungo's tomorrow and she says that she thinks she has the same thing."

"But St. Mungo's is supposed to be the best, right?" Kat asked with concern.

"They can fix anything," Peter said, patting her arm.

"Almost anything," Remus said bitterly.

"It's nothing to worry about," James said with a smile. Kat noted that it did not quite reach his eyes. "They'll be fine."

* * *

That evening, the WWN announced the largest Death Eater attack yet. No less than six Aurors and four Muggles had been killed out in Liverpool. Ministry officials were running all over, placing memory charms on Muggle witnesses and two other Aurors had been taken to St. Mungo's along with a Muggle child. The wizards broadcasting seemed nervous each time they said Lord Voldemort, as if worried that something bad would happen to them if they uttered the Dark Lord's name too loudly. The rest of the wizarding community seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Since Arabella had pleaded with Eileen to say "You-Know-Who" instead of Lord Voldemort, Kat had heard more and more people around Hogwarts following her lead. When the next morning's _Daily Prophet_ was released, the title bespoke of terror across the nation at the hands of the Death Eaters and _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_.

It was the dawning of a new era. Hardly anyone said Lord Voldemort, and if they did, every person in the vicinity would jump or wince or yell or scream. People were more afraid than before. These dark wizards cared nothing for the secrecy of the whole wizarding world. They had attacked Muggles in broad daylight, exposing the secret world of magic. Aurors, the highly trained dark wizard catchers, were being killed by the handful. If they couldn't stand against the might of the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort, who could?

Teachers did their best to keep everyone calm which meant running the school like normal. Detentions were still given out to trouble makers (James and Peter were punished for bewitching suits of armor to follow Slytherin First Years around while singing lewd ballads). Homework was given out in increasing volumes and the students struggled to work through it. Quidditch was back on and Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in a blistering match, and the date was set for the Quidditch Cup: Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor.

Kat got her chance to finally talk to Professor Whitehorn one Saturday evening. She spotted Whitehorn walking down the hall with Sybil Trelawney. They were conversing in hushed voices.

"PROFESSOR WHITEHORN!" Kat yelled loudly over the tops of several students, waving. Most of them looked at Kat and Whitehorn curiously but continued on their way. Whitehorn herself, Kat noted, did not look at all pleased to see Kat. On the contrary, she turned right around on the spot and started walking in the opposite direction. Sybil Trelawney made a face but didn't stop her. "Are you kidding me?" Kat said to herself before following. Whitehorn went through two passageways and a tapestry before turning in exasperation.

"What do you want, child?" She demanded, throwing her arms in the air angrily. Her white hair in its braid and her gigantic hoop earrings swung violently.

"Professor, I—"

"You come banging constantly on my door, and I don't know what you want!"

"What do you mean? You know what I want," Kat said, getting angry herself. "You promised that you would help me! Help me with these dreams and—"

"My dear, girl. I can't help you! Don't be ludicrous." Whitehorn put her hands on her hips and didn't look remotely sweet now.

"Well why not?" Kat snapped, placing her hands on her own hips. Kat wasn't very tall, but neither was Whitehorn. Kat had about an inch on her and drew herself up to her full height.

"You don't actually think that I can help with these…these _real _visions, do you?!" Whitehorn said in a deadly whisper.

Stunned, Kat felt her anger dissipating slightly. Kat said, "But you said you would help."

"I did my best, and my best was reading your tea leaves. I looked up your family name and, sure enough, you have a five-time great-grandmother who was a Seer. You have Seer blood, and these things you see, will likely come to pass. There is nothing that I can help you with because, I for one, do not have a drop of Seer blood in my veins!"

Kat stared at her. _Iggy was right…_ "So you're a fraud!?"

The Divination teacher snorted derisively. "Of course. Every teacher at Hogwarts who has taken up the Divination post has been a fraud for at least a hundred years. Face it, it is not that difficult to make up prophecies or read the lines in the palm in someone's hand."

Kat's mouth opened and closed like a fish for a few seconds. "_So what the bloody hell am I supposed to do?" _She said with loathing.

Whitehorn shrugged. "Try not to dream." And she left.

Kat stared after her, feeling like she was drowning. The only hope she had had about dealing with these episodes was walking away. And a fraud. Panic clamped down with an iron fist over her stomach and she struggled to control it.

"Kat, are you…alright?" A voice said softly. Kat spun around and saw Remus walking down the hall towards her.

"Remus…" she murmured. She tried focusing on his kind face but couldn't quell the panic.

"What's wrong?"

And Kat found herself spilling everything, as she had to no one else ever before. She told him about each of the dreams as she could remember them; the people involved, what was happening, how she felt. Remus listened patiently and even wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.

"What am I supposed to do?" Kat whispered desperately.

"The only thing you can do, Catherine, is focus on what is happening now," Remus said, just as softly. "You can't focus on the present if your head is always in the future. And your friends will take care of you. You are not alone in this."

"That's what I'm worried about," Kat said, voicing one of her worst fears. "What if the things that happen in my dreams…happen because of me? What if it's because I did something and my mates are trying to protect me?"

"The future isn't set in stone, Kat," Remus said firmly. "You're sixteen. You shouldn't be worrying about what happens further down the road than the next Hogsmeade trip. Now come on, let's get you something to cheer you up." Remus began leading her down the hallways and onto one of the moving staircases.

"Where are we going?" Kat asked despondently.

"The guys are down in the kitchens. Peter had a sudden craving for pizza and James and Sirius announced that they wanted it too. They sent me to come and find you and headed off to the kitchens to start stuffing their faces. Full of dung, they are," Remus said as an afterthought.

Kat giggled obligingly and felt better. Remus was right. She shouldn't worry so much about the future. What would come would come, and there really wasn't anything that she could do about it. Not that that was going to stop her from trying…

Sure enough, when Remus and Kat arrived in the kitchens, Peter, James, and Sirius were busy eating an enormous pepperoni pizza while ordering the house elves to make them a second.

"That old hag!" James shouted, slamming his fist down on the table and scattering bits of crust. "She's not going to help you? At all?" When Kat shook her head, James slammed his fist down again, scaring a house elf that carried a tray of goblets. She squealed and dropped the tray. James cursed but helped her pick it up and apologized.

"No, she's not," Kat said, cheered slightly by the presence of her friends and a delicious piece of pizza. "But it's okay. I can do this on my own, I think anyway. Besides, we have more important things to think about, like making me an animagus and working on the map."

"But you have to be at least a little, teensy, tiny bit upset!" said Peter, gazing at Kat dubiously. She had adopted a brave face about the whole situation since she had spilled to Remus and walked in to the kitchens.

"It's fine, really," Kat said through a mouthful of pizza. "So, enlighten me some more about how to become an animagus."

Still looking disbelieving, the James, Peter, and Sirius began giving Kat pointers on the complicated process of transforming into an animal. Remus listened quietly and munched on the pizza, occasionally giving Kat a small smile to reinforce his promise that she was not alone in this. _He's right, I have my friends._

* * *

"I think I've almost got it!" Kat said, breathless with excitement. "One or two times more should do it, I think!"

"Now, take it easy, and don't overextend yourself. James did that when we were working on it in fourth year and he ended up in the Hospital Wing for exhaustion," Peter said, cautioning Kat before she tried again.

"Shut up, Wormtail. You're just jealous because Kat is getting closer to transforming way quicker than you did," Sirius scoffed.

They were in an empty classroom on the fourth floor putting Kat through her paces and getting her closer and closer to transforming into her animal. James, Sirius, Peter, and Kat had all kipped under the invisibility cloak to sneak through the corridors after midnight to this classroom. Remus had apologized, but claimed that he felt too nauseous to come; the full moon was just a night away.

Taking a deep breath to put the lid on her exhilaration, Kat screwed up her eyes and concentrated just like the boys had taught her. Nothing, and then a whoop.

"She's done it!"

Kat opened her and looked up, up, up waaaay up at where the guys were all staring down at her. She tried saying something, but a sound between a chirp and a shriek came out. Kat spread her wings and marveled at how light she felt. Staring up at the high rafters, Kat flapped her wings, and suddenly she was soaring through the air. She could hear the Marauders cheering beneath her, along with the scrapping and scrambling of a tiny creature in the walls. When she looked down, her hypersensitive sight could pick out the dust sitting on the tables and the individual hairs sticking out on the top of James' head. She shrieked again and dove, straight down, fast as an arrow before swooping back up to the rafters and perching on one.

_This is the most amazing feeling in the world, _Kat thought to herself. _I'm _free_! _She flew in a circle for a while before landing on a beam once more. She was amazed at how quickly she had learned to fly. It seemed almost natural.

James motioned for her to come back down, and she dove steeply again before adjusting course to land, rather awkwardly on the ground; she had to hop from taloned foot to taloned foot to keep from falling.

"She looks so silly like that," Peter said with a giggle. Kat fixed him with a beady eyed stare that made him stop laughing.

Sirius chortled. "I don't think appreciates that, Pete."

"C'mon, change back so we can talk!" James said excitedly.

Slightly disappointed, Kat focused and felt herself become human again.

"That was incredible!" Kat said laughing ecstatically.

"A falcon," said James. "The perfect form for you."

"I can _fly," _Kat said, still stunned that she had managed to become and animagus. She wanted, more than anything, to be back up in the air, flying. She wanted to be out beneath the stars she loved so much, soaring through the sky.

"I wish I could fly," Sirius and Peter said at the same time.

"Mwahaha, the power is mine alone!" Kat said, sticking her tongue out before transforming again.

_This is absolutely brilliant! _She closed her eyes and basked in the breeze that ruffled her feathers. She heard Sirius whistle and she grudgingly opened her eyes again, dove down to where the boys were standing, and transformed in midair so she slid a few yards across the stone floor before coming to a neat halt in front of him.

He whistled again, this time lower. "Now that was cool!" Kat grinned at him.

"You did so great!" James said, swooping in on her and grabbing her in a bear hug. Kat squirmed to get away, but James had too tight of a hold on her. "I'm so proud of you! Wait until Moony sees you like that!"

"I can't wait to go outside!" Kat said with relish.

"But we have to be getting back to the dormitory," Peter said, checking his watch. "It's almost three."

Slightly put out, Kat agreed that they should be getting back—they had class tomorrow morning.

* * *

The next morning, Kat couldn't focus in Potions. Her mind was so fixed on what it had felt like zooming through an empty classroom and all she could think about was flying under the stars by the light of a full moon…not that she was looking forward to poor Remus going through all that pain. She just wanted an excuse to fly again, any excuse. She felt a twinge of apprehension when she remembered the last time she had been out and about when Remus had transformed, but reminded herself that this time, it would be different. She could transform just like the rest of them, and they could run (or in her case fly!) around campus without having to worry about someone getting hurt.

Professor Slughorn gave them a hint that he had something special planned for their class on Valentine's Day, but Kat didn't pay much attention. She copied down the homework dutifully and was on her way out the door when Slughorn called for her and Lily.

"Hello, girls," he said amiably when Kat and Lily were standing in front of his desk. The rest of the class filed out the door. "I'm throwing a Valentine's Day party for the Slug Club, and you girls are welcome to bring dates! So invite whomever you please, everyone is welcome! I've got a few people from the Ministry coming this time, so things should be jolly good!" He beamed happily at them. Lily and Kat took their leave.

"So, who do you think you're going to bring?" Lily asked as they traipsed up the dungeon corridor into the much warmer Entrance Hall.

"I have no idea," Kat said, feeling herself going red. She knew very well who she _wanted _to take, but Sirius had scoffed when she first told him and James that she was invited into the Slug Club. If she asked him to the party, he'd probably laugh himself silly…Kat laughed a bit herself. The idea of a girl asking Sirius Black out was absurd—he was the one who asked people out, no one asked him. She wondered briefly if Lily would consider asking James to the party, but laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" Lily asked as she rummaged in her bag to make sure she another bottle of ink.

"Just musing about the party," Kat said, trying to contain another snigger as she thought of the look James would have on his face if his crush of a million years asked him to a party.

"Damn," Lily said. She didn't seem to have heard Kat. "I'm nearly out of ink!"

"Well, there's a Hogsmeade trip coming up right after out next Apparition class so you can get some then."

"Right," they rounded a corner and saw something that made Kat want to gag.

Khristine's handsome boyfriend, Rodolphus was standing with his back against the wall with his arms wrapped around another girl from Slytherin named Bellatrix. The two were quite intent on their snogging session and they didn't even notice Lily and Kat staring open mouthed at them in disgust. Their hands began traveling around just as Lily let out a loud cough. Instead of springing apart and having the decency to look guilty, they looked up briefly. The girl had thick, black hair and heavily hooded, dark eyes. She sneered when she saw Kat and Lily. Rodolphus on the other hand, said, "Ignore them," and started pawing at the front of Bellatrix's blouse.

"What the bloody hell—"

"Lily, c'mon," Kat said gruffly, pulling Lily by the arm before her friend could do something stupid. Kat cast one last disgusted look at Rodolphus and evident new squeeze before ascending the last of the stairs to the Entrance Hall.

"What a PRAT!" Lily exploded when they reached the wide open floor. She spun around and poked Kat hard in the collar bone. "And you! You didn't even try and stop them! He's supposed to be Khristine's boyfriend! What the hell is he doing snogging another girl?!"

Kat rubbed the spot where Lily had prodded her. It hurt. "Lily, that was Rodolphus _Lestrange_. From what I've heard people say about, he's crazy. He could have hexed up into oblivion if he wasn't so intent on getting some. And that Bellatrix is no princess. She easily could have done some damage."

"But, but _Khristine_."

"I know, we'll tell her. Come on, let's go." Kat led a righteously upset Lily into the Great Hall where the rest of the school (minus a few occupied Slytherins apparently) was already gathered for lunch.

"Vere ees Rodolphus?" Khristine asked no one in particular when Kat and Lily joined her at the table. Arabella was braiding an unhappy Eileen's hair ("But I don't like it braided!" "Don't be ridiculous, it looks so pretty!").

Lily looked at Kat who just shrugged her shoulders to say "You tell her."

"VAT?!" Khristine shrieked when Lily finished telling her haltingly what had happened. "Chto?" She said again in Russian. Before Lily could do anything else, Khristine began shouting in Russian so loudly that the whole Gryffindor table was staring at her and heads in the rest of the Hall began turning in their direction. Perhaps Rodolphus and Bellatrix were lucky that they did not show up for lunch because Khristine looked murderous.

* * *

"She doesn't seem to make very good choices when it comes to boys, does she?" Arabella whispered to Kat quietly that night. Everyone was gathered in the common room listening in to the WWN. Khristine however, was looking sulky and snapped at a pair of first years for sitting too close to her. She had arranged her magnificent blonde hair in an imposing crown of braids on top of her head. Kat privately thought she looked a bit like an evil queen.

"I agree," Kat said.

"Where's Remus?" Arabella asked, looking hopefully around the room for the quiet brunette. "Everyone else is here…so where is he?"

"His mum is sick again," Kat said with what she hoped was anxiety. "She gets sick a lot, and she's all he has so he goes to visit her in the hospital a lot."

"Ooh, that's right," Arabella said, though she looked dejected anyway. "Listen, Kat. Are there any pointers you could give me on Remus? I mean, you hang out with him all the time and stuff and—"

"Just be your wonderfully nice self, Bella," Kat said with a smile.

The common room took longer than usual to empty out that night, due in part to Kat's inability to sit still—she was too excited and nervous. Eileen had challenged James to a game of Exploding Snap which caused such a hullabaloo that several second years ended up with scorched toes. James and Eileen didn't bother keeping the noise down so the students who had already gone up to bed ended up coming back down to see what all of the ruckus was about. Peter asked Kat if she wanted to play a game of Gobstones but she was too distracted to sit still for so long. Even the foul smelly goo that shot out and the players had to dodge couldn't sidetrack her now. She kept thinking about flying. Finally, Eileen admitted defeat and trudged off to bed.

James pulled his invisibility cloak out from his bag with a flourish and draped it over the four of them. Kat had already been given the run down on how these moonlit outings went: they left the school through the Entrance Hall and transformed on the stoop before loping across the grounds down to the Whomping Willow. Since Peter was the smallest, he would run between the swinging branches and press a knot on the side of the tree that froze it. Then, Sirius would enter the tunnel and bring out Remus. Then, the four of them would prance about the grounds like nobody's business, exploring every little nook and cranny until the moon began setting. Then they would repeat the process, except this time Sirius led the werewolf back through the tunnel and came out alone. Taking no chances, the boys waited until they were back on the stoop of the school before transforming back into humans, sliding back under the invisibility cloak, and creeping back up to their dormitory to catch an hour or so of sleep before the school day began. Tonight was no different, except they had Kat with them this time. Since she could fly, they had all agreed that it would be a good idea if she acted as a sort of look-out for when they got closer to the school.

By the time they got to the Entrance Hall, Kat's heart was pounding with excitement. Sirius double checked to make sure the coast was clear before pulling the cloak off and stuffing it in a suit or armor. The armor gave him a salute and rearranged itself into what it obviously thought of as a nonchalant position.

"Ready?" Sirius asked Kat, eyes glowing with excitement. Kat nodded, grinning widely. They stepped out into the cold night air together and Kat inhaled deeply.

They sky was a deep inky black with thousands of stars splashed across it, and Kat knew that the ceiling of the Great Hall would look just as breathtaking. There was a slight breeze that ruffled the tops of the trees of the Forbidden Forest and there were no clouds to be seen. The moon was rising fat and heavy over the lake, so bright it cast shadows. _The castle grounds are the most beautiful at night_, thought Kat.

"Let's do this," James said, shaking his head and transforming before their eyes into a beautiful stag. Kat could already see Peter running through the grass before he vanished from sight. She turned to grin at Sirius but a gigantic black dog was wagging its tail at her instead. Giddy with excitement, Kat focused and felt her body transform and took off into the crisp night air.

* * *

**_Reviews are lettuce to my plot bunnies! So please, don't let them starve! D:_**

**_~neelie_**


	10. St Mungo's

**_This is the longest chapter yet! Huzzah! But, I'm sorry to say that this isn't really the happiest of chapters. You'd best prepare yourselves!_**

* * *

_Oh bloody hell, I can't deal with this right now_, was Kat's first coherent thought of the morning. She could hear the other girls moving about the dormitory. They were obviously trying their best to make the same amount of noise as a herd of elephants trumpeting around the Serengeti. Kat groaned and rolled over in her bed. She had finally collapsed into bed somewhere around five that morning, just before the sun started peeking out from behind the mountains, and now, barely three hours later, the rest of the dormitory was getting ready for the day. She had been so exhausted that she had forgotten to close the drapes around her bed—something that she was sorely regretting now.

"Shhh! You're going to wake Kat up!" Eileen said in what she obviously thought was a soft whisper.

"Well, where is my glove? I know it's here somewhere," said Lily in the same "whisper." There was a loud thunk as Lily snapped the lid of her trunk shut.

"Oh, I borrowed your gloves yesterday," said Arabella loudly.

"SHHHHH!" Eileen and Lily said together.

Giving up all pretense of sleep, Kat sat up grumpily. "Oh, don't worry about me. It's not like I need sleep or anything."

"Oh, good morning, sweetie!" Arabella chimed happily just as Lily's gloves zoomed out from underneath her bed (thanks to a Summoning Charm by Lily).

_Merlin, how can she be so chipper this early on a Saturday? _Kat managed a mere grunt in acknowledgment. Then, "What're you doing up s'early?"

"Well since you're up, you might as well know," Eileen said, happily plunking herself down right at the foot of Kat's bed. Kat privately thought that she looked way too excited. "Khristine-landed-herself-in-a-week-and-a-half-of- detention-because-she-hexed-Rodolphus-and-Bellatri x-last-night-just-before-curfew," she said very fast and all in one breath. "We're heading down to the Hospital Wing to see if we can catch a glimpse of what she did to them."

"It turns out our Khristine isn't just a pretty face, but also quite the fighter," Arabella said proudly. "The only problem is that she ended up with Madam Pomfrey as well."

"S'why does Lily need gloves?" Kat asked, blinking repeatedly to wake herself up more. Because, really, who needed sleep? Certainly not her.

"Because it's February and bloody cold in the castle, Kat," Lily said, pulling on her recently rediscovered gloves.

Kat didn't have anything to add to that. In fact, she felt like she didn't really have anything to add to anything at that particular moment, unless it was her head being added to her pillow again. "M'going back to sleep," she said with a yawn and put her head happily back in its pillow home.

"Oh, no you don't!" Eileen said, giving her a sharp poke in the foot. "Where were you last night? I got up at three to use the loo and you still weren't in bed." At this proclamation, Arabella and Lily stopped what they were doing and hurriedly joined Eileen on Kat's bed. It was a wonder, really, that four girls could fit on such a tiny target, but they made it work. "Come to think of it, the last time we saw you, you were chilling in the common room with the Marauder Idiots," Eileen continued suspiciously, spurred on by Kat attempting to cover her head with blankets.

"Oooh, what did you do?" Arabella giggled excitedly. "Anything good? Any juicy details you want to share with us?"

"Don't be stupid," Kat said in a voice muffled from the blankets.

"Well you have to tell us something!" Lily said, giving Kat a sharp poke in the side.

"The mates and I were…were just….having a um….super intense Exploding Snap tournament," Kat said stupidly, saying the first thing that came to mind. She could practically feel Eileen roll her eyes at that one.

"Really, an Exploding Snap tournament?"

Kat sat up in bed once again and tossed her hair over her shoulder, sniggering slightly when it wacked Lily in the head. "Well, you got kicked out of the first bracket, don't you remember?" she said in her best innocence voice, completely ignoring Lily's objections to being smacked with a load of heavy brown hair.

Eileen narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Well fine then, don't tell us. It's not like we're your friends or anything." _Playing the guilt card, O'Reiley? This early? Pfft. _

"I'll meet you down in the Great Hall for breakfast once I've woken up more, yeah?" Kat said, ignoring Eileen now as well. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and hopped onto the floor, wincing at the cold stone. She pulled on a pair of slippers (nice, fuzzy red ones that Khristine didn't wear anymore so Kat had commandeered them) before trudging across the dormitory to perform her necessities in the bathroom.

By the time she was showered, teeth brushed, and changed, the dorm was empty. Staring longingly at her bed, she knew that it was too late for her to go back to sleep. Her stomach gave a rumble of approval and she her mouth started watering at the thought of the giant stacks of waffles that awaited her down at breakfast. With a sigh, Kat turned her back on what could possibly have been a fantastic morning spent snoozing up a storm with only Mister Snowy for company and decided to join the rest of the school at breakfast.

Except the rest of the school wasn't at breakfast. It was a Saturday after all, and the rest of the student body was apparently snoozing in bed just like Kat thought she should be doing. There were only about a dozen or so students sleepily sipping orange juice or reading the _Daily Prophet _or eating. She didn't even see the rest of the Gryffindor Sixth Years amongst the early risers. _Lovely. _She was happy that she had decided to keep the slippers on—they did a much better job than trainers at keeping the cold out.

Kat didn't make too much effort in walking down the long Gryffindor table. Instead, she sat right at the end, close to the door and moodily began adding waffles to her plate. Another glance at the yawning students in the Hall told her that her Marauding mates were all still snoring into their pillows. _Jerks_, Kat thought as she stabbed a waffle. She decided that its golden fluffiness was more than satisfactory however, and let out a sigh after the first bite. _Maybe the house elves serve better food this early in the morning…_She amused herself by watching a bloke over at the Ravenclaw table try desperately to stay awake, but his head nodded ever closer to his plate of scrambled eggs. His mate sitting next to him tried to prod him awake, but to no avail. The unfortunate Ravenclaw sagged straight into the scrambled egg only to be rudely awakened by his friend's laughter. Kat chuckled along as the two left the Hall, the one laughing and the other trying to dislodge bits of egg from his eyebrows and such. Brilliant.

Then Kat decided to pass the time by thinking over the adventures of the night before. Flying under the open sky was better than she could possibly have imagined. It was if all those years spent in the basement had been lifted off her shoulders and for the first time, she felt free, one hundred percent, fantastically free. She wouldn't lie and claim that she had been rather put out when the moon began setting and the horizon began turning pink. She would also be lying if she claimed that seeing Remus in his full out werewolf form running around the grounds with, of all things, a dog, a stag, a rat, and a falcon, wasn't a bit terrifying or invigorating. She felt a bit guilty for looking forward to the next month when they could all transform again, but, after all, her friends had practically begged her to join them. She figured that as long as she didn't see Remus' actual transformation process or anyone saw them running around the grounds, she would be just peachy keen with flying through the sky like there was no tomorrow.

She continued eating her breakfast, dosing a bit between bites because of how tired she was. The enchanted ceiling above showed that the sky outside looked cloudy and gloomy, quite the opposite of what it had been like the night before. Just as things were beginning to look like a much better morning than she had anticipated, Ernie Summers slid onto the bench right across from her with a smile the size of England.

"Good morning, Kat!" he said breathlessly, staring at her with wide eyes as she finished off the last of her waffles.

Kat stifled a groan but decided to be nice. After all, if she was nice to people, nice things would happen to her as well, right?_ Wrong. _She plastered a grin on her face anyway. "Good morning, Ernie."

"Please, Kat, call me Ern," he said happily and began buttering a piece of toast. He looked prepared to stay. "You ignored me the other night. I wanted to introduce you to my friends."

_Is he sulking? Oh God, how do you deal with a sulking kid?! _"Erm, sorry uh, Ern." He brightened considerably when she called him that. "But I was really busy and erm had—"

"Good morning, my orange friend!" Frank Longbottom sang as he swung his leg over the bench to sit next to Kat.

Kat felt like she could have kissed Frank, she was so happy to see him. But from what little she knew about relationships, she figured that Alice would in no way be pleased. She settled for a smile for her savior instead. "Hey, Frank! Thanks again for the help the other day."

Frank waved his hand. "It was nothing, just performing my Head Boy duties like the good guy I am." He smirked slightly as he scooped scrambled eggs onto his plate.

Kat took a sip of orange juice and groaned inwardly when she saw Ern staring pointedly at her. "Oh, Frank, this is Ernie, sorry, Ern Summers." Ern beamed at her.

"Oh, I know who he is, don't worry."

_Is that a good thing or a bad thing…? _Ern seemed satisfied with the introduction though and continued eating his toast. Likewise, Frank continued eating his eggs. "So, Frank, where's Alice?"

"Oh, she never gets up this early. She likes to snooze until the very last minute and then scramble to get ready," Frank said fondly.

"I wish that's what I was doing now," grumbled Kat. "The girls in my dorm woke me up."

Frank laughed. "It happens."

"Speaking of the devils," Kat said. Eileen was happily waltzing through the Great Hall smiling ear to ear. Lily and Arabella followed not too far behind, grinning like loonies, but without the skipping.

Eileen effectively shooed Ern away by sitting so close to him that the poor lad blushed furiously before hopping up from the bench and fleeing further down the table. Oblivious to people's need for personal space, she leaned over the table so close to Kat's face that Kat could count her friend's individual freckles. "Rudolphus has cherries coming out of his nose and Bellatrix the Tart is maroon."

"I heard something had happened last night!" Frank said with excitement.

"Honestly, you people and your gossip," Lily said dismissively shaking her head even though she had a big smile on her face.

"Sadly, poor Khristine is still unconscious with horns sticking out of her head," Eileen continued, not looking the least bit upset.

Kat snorted into her orange juice. "Horns?"

"Great big green ones, too," Arabella gave her two cents.

"Great big green what?" Peter had arrived and was still rubbing his eyes, trying to wake up. He looked about as knackered as Kat felt even though he was more used to the nighttime adventures than Kat was. He sat next to Arabella and poured himself a glass of milk. "What are we talking about?"

"The whole big Khristine-Rodolphus-Bellatrix incident!" Eileen declared, looking scandalized when Peter showed no recognition to the chain of events. She, clearly in her element, quickly launched into a harrowing story in which Khristine was the unfortunate victim of circumstance and prats and had to defend herself from such with a few well-placed hexes. She rounded off the tale with a description of Rodolphus with cherries hanging out of his nose, Bellatrix being a hilarious shade of maroon, and Khristine with an unfortunate set of massive green horns sticking out of her luscious locks.

"Charming," was all Peter said before he served himself beans and toast. Kat snorted into her orange juice again when she saw Eileen's outraged face.

"That's all you have to say? The Hogwarts gossip mill has been running dry since term started except for some stupid things involving a couple in Ravenclaw and all you can say in 'charming'?"

Peter shrugged. "Gossip's not really my thing."

Eileen raised her eyes to the enchanted ceiling as if asking the heavens how someone could care so little for such hilarious gossip before claiming a waffle for her own.

"What happened with the Ravenclaw couple?" Frank asked curiously, looking eager to get his fill of gossip for the morning.

"Frank!" Kat said in mock surprise. "I never knew you liked gossip!"

Frank shrugged. "People forget sometimes that the Head Boy (and Girl) likes to know all of the juicy details going through the gossip mill."

"Well, Bernice McGovern and Tommy Lancaster had this weird not exclusive relationship thing going on, but Bernice threw a fit when she caught Tommy snogging Mary—"

"Gossiping already, O'Reiley?" James had arrived for breakfast as well. He joined the crowd at the table. Lily made a face when James unceremoniously shoved her shoulder to the side to make more room. She did, however, scoot over so James could sit.

Eileen flashed him a cheerful smile. "You know it, Potter!"

James grunted in reply. Like Peter, he looked tired, but was more used to it than Kat. He yawned widely and accepted the goblet of orange juice Kat had just poured for him.

"Did you win your tournament?" questioned Arabella.

"What tournament?" James asked, blinking owlishly at her from behind his glasses.

Kat wanted to slap a hand to her forehead. Instead she said, "You idiot, the one we were playing until the ungodly hours of the morning. And no, Arabella, Peter ended up winning the tournament." If Peter was surprised by this announcement, he didn't show it. He merely smiled and continued eating. James, on the other hand, had caught on to what Kat was talking about, but obviously resented the fact that he had supposedly lost their imaginary Exploding Snap tournament.

"Now hold on a second, I totally owned that game!"

"Telling lies is not a very attractive quality, Prongs," Peter said with a pointed look at James. James did the slightest eye flicker to where Lily was sitting next to him and glared daggers at Peter.

The Great Hall became louder as more and more students arrived to breakfast. "Where's your shadow, Potter?" asked Eileen after she finished her first waffle and grabbed a second.

"What're you talking about?" James snapped, still glaring at Pete. Peter was doing a very good job of ignoring him. In fact, he stuck up a conversation with Lily just then which made James even more irritated.

"Black. Where's Sirius Black?" Eileen said slowly, as if James were a very slow child. Kat looked up from her orange juice in interest and did her best not to blush when Eileen caught her. _Crap. _

"Sleeping Beauty was still asleep in the dorm room upstairs when I left."

The mail arrived just then and they were distracted by the usual swoop of hundreds of owls bringing letters from home. Arabella happily accepted a copy of _Witch Weekly_ and Lily received a letter from home. Kat didn't really pay much attention to the birds. After all, she very rarely received any mail. Therefore, she was rather surprised when a handsome eagle owl nearly knocked over her goblet of orange juice and stuck his leg out for her to take the letter. Her befuddlement was lifted slightly when she saw that it was addressed to _James and Catherine Potter_.

She gave the owl a bit of bacon for its trouble before sending it off. Intrigued, Kat opened the thick envelope and retrieved the letter from within. What she read made her heart stop.

_To the Potter Children,_

_It is with deepest regrets that I must inform you on the passing of your father, Mister Alexander James Potter. Normally, the next of kin would tell you of such a travesty, but it is with remorse that I must tell you that your mother, Mrs. Annalisa Jane Potter has taken ill with the same sickness and is currently unable to do so herself. _

_Plan must be made for the collection of the body. _

_Visiting hours at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries are from eight o'clock in the morning until eight o'clock at night._

_Deepest Regrets,_

_Healer Griffiths _

Kat felt all of the color drain from her face and the hand holding the parchment began shaking uncontrollably. _The passing of your father…same sickness…_ "James!" she cried with anguish.

Her brother broke off abruptly from the joke he was telling Eileen. His head whipped around at the sound of Kat's appeal, eyes wide. His jaw closed with a snap as his eyes flickered between the letter Kat was holding and the stricken look on her face. Without further ado, he stood to snatch the letter out of Kat's trembling hand. No longer holding the horrific letter, Kat buried her head in her hands and ignored several questions from her friends, prompting to know what the matter was.

Kat felt sick. Her head was spinning uncontrollably and she wanted now, more than ever, to be back in her bed, oblivious to the pain this morning would bring. Mister Potter…her _father _had been so, so kind. He hadn't thrown her immediately from his home when he discovered his son speaking to the strange girl who had broken into their home. Instead, he had welcomed her with open arms into the family, introduced her to his delightful wife—the nicest woman Kat had ever met in her entire life. The pair of them had opened a door to a brand new world, one shinning with delight and wonder, giving the girl who had lived her entire life in a basement the opportunity to live, really, truly live.

And now he was gone.

And by the sound of it, her mother was starting down the same path. _What sort of illness is this? _Kat groaned and started rubbing her temples, hoping that would help relieve some of her symptoms.

"Kat?" Arabella's voice sounded so distant she could have been on another planet. "James?"

"It…it's nothing," she heard James say gruffly. _Nothing?! How could he possibly say this was nothing? _Kat looked up angrily, ready to throttle James, only to find him holding the letter with one shaking hand and cradling his forehead in the other. His eyes were shaded but Kat could see his chin trembling ever so slightly. She reached out and covered his hand with hers. He snatched his away quickly. "Stop it!" he spat angrily, dropping his hand from his forehead. Obediently, Kat drew her hand away feeling even more hurt than she had a moment before. A garble of emotions ran across James' face, each more frenzied than the last—anger, despair, sadness, fear, hopelessness. "Sorry, sis," he mumbled once he mastered his features into a stony mask.

_I wish I could control my emotions like that, _Kat thought, struggling to keep the tears from her eyes.

"James?" Peter prompted this time.

"Potter," Professor McGonagall had arrived at the table. Her eyes appeared rather red, but it in no way diminished the crispness of her voice. "Professor Dumbledore would like to see you and your sister once you have finished your breakfast." She placed a hand on James' shoulder and gave it a squeeze before walking away.

"Guys, what's going on?" Eileen asked.

Both Kat and James ignored her. James crumbled the letter up and stuffed it in his pocket. "C'mon," he said quietly to Kat, rising from the bench. "I'm done eating."

Kat didn't say anything. She felt like if she opened her mouth she would either scream or throw up all of the waffles she had just eaten, but she rose off the bench. She walked rather stiffly, as if her legs had forgotten how to work, and followed James out of the Great Hall. She could hear Eileen, Arabella, Lily, and Peter all calling after them, wanting to know what was happening, but again she ignored them. Instead of heading upstairs to Dumbledore's office, James instead headed to a door on the opposite end of the Entrance Hall. He threw it open and entered, obviously assuming Kat would follow.

The room was barely larger than a broom cupboard, with all manner of mops and brooms lining the walls. Several spiders had made their homes in the dusty rafters above their heads, and an old rickety desk with matching chair were shoved unceremoniously against the wall. Filch obviously used this as some sort of storeroom. Kat kicked the door closed behind her and leaned heavily against it, closed her eyes, and tried to breathe normally. It proved more difficult than she thought—it felt like something heavy had lodged itself in her chest.

She opened her eyes and found James pacing around what scant space he could, wringing his hands and looking utterly lost. He kept mumbling something fast and soft under his breath, casting his eyes all over the room. He happened to look up at Kat after a few minutes and Kat heard him take in an enormous breath before he collapsed onto the floor. He let out an inarticulate yell and pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them, rocking back and forth slightly. Kat joined him on the floor and put her arms around him. She could feel his shoulders shaking as James tried controlling his sobs.

"Shh, just let it out," she said softly, her bottom lip trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes and started streaming down her face. She continued making comforting sounds and rocked back and forth as well, not knowing what else to do. James let go of his knees and positively clung to her, his body wracked with sobs, and she cried right along with him.

She never knew how long they sat there like that on the floor, but eventually they both stopped crying and simply held each other miserably.

"Dumbledore," James sniffed. He raised his head off of Kat's shoulder and straightened his glasses. His eyes were all red, but already Kat could see him trying to master his emotions again. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Kat did the same and found that her mind had turned rather numb. _Does James feel like this too? _He certainly looked like it. His eyes were sort of glazed over with a faraway look. He did help her to her feet though and straightened his tie. "Dumbledore," he said again.

When they left the broom cupboard, the Great Hall was empty. At some point, the doors to the Great Hall had been closed. Thankful that there wouldn't be anyone to stare at them and question, Kat followed James past the double doors and onto the staircase. They climbed their way up to Dumbledore's office in total silence. The arrival at the griffin took Kat by surprise, even in her numbed state. The trek had taken much less time than she had anticipated. The two of them stared up at the statue and the minutes stretched by. Then Kat remembered that they were supposed to give it some sort of password. James looked incapable of doing any sort of thinking, so she began saying the names of various candies out loud.

"Chocolate frog," she said hoarsely. "Peppermint toad, licorice wand, Fizzing Whizbee." The griffin leapt back and the staircase became gliding upward. James and Kat stepped onto it and let it carry them right up to the door. Kat took the brass knocker and slammed it down on the door three times. It swung open on its own. Taking the cue, Kat stepped into Dumbledore's office with James trailing along behind.

Even in her numb state of mind, Kat could appreciate how beautiful the room was. The portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses were speaking in soft voices to one another on the circular walls, and Dumbledore's many elegant, spindly objects graced the numerous shelves around the room. Dumbledore himself was sitting in a high backed chair behind his desk, stroking an enormous red and gold bird and gazing at them through his half-moon spectacles with a morose expression. The twinkle that was usual present in his eye appeared dimmed.

"Sit down, please," he said softly, indicating the two squishy armchairs in front of his desk. Kat obeyed but James remained standing in the center of the room. "Mister Potter," Dumbledore said, but James paid him no heed. He continued to stay where he was, his eyes fixed, Kat was surprised, rather fiercely on Dumbledore, as if daring him to say something about it. Dumbledore merely sighed and continued stroking his bird. "I am afraid the pair of you received some very distressing news this morning." Kat found that her throat no longer worked so she nodded. James remained silent. "The healers at St. Mungo's did everything they could for your father, but whatever illness he had was beyond their abilities. They had never seen it before and were unprepared for the ferociousness of it."

"What do you mean they had never seen it before?" James spoke for the first time.

Dumbledore sighed again. "What I mean, James, is that the healers claim that they had never encountered whatever ailed poor Alexander was something entirely new and were helpless against it."

"But," said James furiously, "they've got to do something! Mum has it now too, the bloke said!"

Dumbledore raised a hand to silence him. "I am aware of this. However, it is my belief that this sickness is not medically based. In fact, and I believe that the two of you are mature enough to handle this when I say it, I believe that there is something dark surrounding your father's death."

There was a very heavy silence. James laughed bitterly. "Oh, you mean dark like Voldemort stuff? My parents went on vacation to _Austria_. What does that have to do with Voldemort?" James laughed again.

Once again, Dumbledore held his hand up for silence. "You know that both of your parents were top officials in the Ministry, of course. It grieves me to tell you that they were performing some very important tasks in response to the Death Eater attacks, and they may have been subjected to some sort of curse which has caused their bodies to deteriorate rapidly."

"What, so Mum and Dad are spies or something?" James said indignantly striding to the front of Dumbledore's desk. The bird took flight and landed on Kat's knee. Instead of the enormous bird feeling heavy though, it was surprisingly light and Kat felt her spirits lift ever so slightly as she automatically touched its smooth feathers. Dumbledore nodded shortly to James' question. James' jaw dropped as he said, "But they never said anything about—"

"Why would they?" Dumbledore said quietly. That shut James up right away. "Why would they want their children to worry?"

"Well," James said, "that's obviously backfired because we're worried now! Dad is…is…_dead_," he choked out. "And now you're telling me that Mum is going to join him because the two of them are spies against Voldemort?" Dumbledore's silence was enough of a confirmation. James swore loudly and began pacing the office, hands in his hair. He looked like he would like to pull it out in great clumps.

"James, since you are of age, you can continue residency at your house when term has ended," said Dumbledore.

"What do you mean by that, huh?" James positively shouted. "My mother is still alive, thank you very little! She could pull through for all you know, and then you'll just be a daft old man who assumes the worst!" James fumed and looked like he wanted to throw something at Dumbledore.

The headmaster, however, ignored his hostility and continued. "I will be sending the two of you to St. Mungo's today to see your mother, and you can discuss the rest of the situation with her if she is a condition to do so. If not, a representative from Gringotts will contact you about your assets and a Ministry official will be in touch with wills." By the sound of it, Dumbledore had very little hope of their mother pulling through whatever catastrophe, medically induced or otherwise, that had hit them all with the force of a speeding train. He went on to say things about funeral arrangements, but Kat sat silent through the rest of the conversation, preferring to have James answer. She sat in the armchair and stroked Dumbledore's magnificent bird. When there was a flurry of movement, Kat looked up just as a very familiar someone slammed the door of Dumbledore's office wide open.

Sirius Black was puffing loudly, as if he had just run a marathon. His gaze flickered from Dumbledore, to Kat, and finally rested on James. "I just heard."

"From whom, may I ask?" Dumbledore said with a frown.

"I heard the portraits talking about it, Professor," Sirius said, striding into the room. His uniform was rumpled as if he had grabbed the first thing out of his trunk, regardless of its cleanliness, and his hair was a mess. His eyes, however, never once left his best mate's. James stared at the floor.

"I suppose you had nothing to do with this, Phineas?" Dumbledore addressed a rather small portrait of a former headmaster.

"I may have let something slip, Dumbledore," the figure said with a sneer. Sirius practically growled at it. "I see my nephew has joined us."

"That will be all, Phineas," Dumbledore said with a warning. He rummaged about in his desk until he brought out a small snuffbox. He strode over to the fireplace and gestured for Kat, James, and Sirius to do the same. Kat gently shooed the bird away before rising from her armchair and joining them next to the hearth. "Use this floo powder to get to St. Mungo's. Give your mother my best wishes."

Without looking at anyone else, James grabbed a fistful of powder from the snuffbox, threw it into the fire, stepped into the emerald green flames and exclaimed, "St. Mungo's!" before vanishing from sight.

"Look after him, Catherine," Dumbledore said quietly as Kat stepped forward for her turn. Still not trusting herself to speak, Kat reached for a handful of powder. She threw it into the flames, stepped into the pleasantly warm fire, and cried, "St. Mungo's!" and Dumbledore's office disappeared.

Kat kept her eyes squinted to avoid soot filling them and tucked in her elbows. When she saw James waiting at a particular grate, she stepped out and spun around a bit on the rug. He helped steady her and pulled her back just as Sirius zinged onto the carpet. They were in a sparsely furnished room with a high ceiling and white walls. A red haired wizard wearing white robes was sitting at a desk tucked away in a corner by a large window that overlooked a small garden.

The wizard frowned slightly and straightened his glasses when he saw them. "I was told that there would be only two of you."

"Yeah," snapped James nastily. "Well now there're three. Where's my mother?"

The wizard eyed them all carefully before holding up a clipboard. "You have to sign in." James practically stomped over to the desk and grabbed the clipboard forcefully out of the mediwizard's hand and took a quill off the desk. He penned the three of them in and handed back the clipboard.

"Where's my mother?" he repeated.

"Let me check for a room number," the wizard, whose name tag read Arthur Cambridge, said sifting through papers on his desk. He clicked his tongue as he scanned the parchment. "Ah, yes," he gave them the room number and James sped out the door before he could give them directions. Luckily, Kat and Sirius stayed behind just a little bit to hear that crucial bit of information.

Kat had never been in a hospital before, and from what she saw, she never wanted to be in one again. Weird noises came from behind several closed doors, and they almost ran smack into a witch who had a pair of nail clippers lodged up her nose. One bloke had been turned a nasty puce color and every time he opened his mouth a series of flatulent noises ensued. If Kat hadn't been in such a state of shock she would have found it amusing.

When they reached the floor their mother was on, a hush covered the hallway. All of the doors on this floor were shut. They could hear the sounds of wailing coming from a door on their left, but pressed on in finding the room marked 16. There was a small black flag pinned to the door when they found it. James wasted no time in pushing the door open and speeding into the room. Sirius followed close behind him. Kat lingered on the threshold for a few moments unsure if she wanted to face what was waiting for her inside the sterile hospital room. She told her feet to move and she tripped slightly on the chair that was seated just outside the door in the hallway, but her feet carried her through.

There were two beds in the hospital room. One had thick purple curtains surrounding it while the other did not. A small window looked out onto the same garden that the room they had arrived in did and there was a vase of daisies on the bedside table. A witch wearing white robes and a name tag proclaiming Penny Merrythought was her name, finished straightening the flowers, inclined her head slightly to Kat and the boys before she took her leave and sat in the chair in the hall. Kat finally did what she had been dreading and looked over to where her mother was tucked in to her bed.

Annalisa Potter looked as if she had aged fifty years. Her hair, which had been a lush brunette, was now pure white and brittle. Her breath was coming in short painful rasps and her eyes were clouded. The hand that was now clutching James' shoulder has so thin that her bones stood out starkly and her skin was almost transparent. She could barely speak above a whisper.

"You're here," she said quietly, giving James' shoulder a little shake. "I wouldn't let them take him away. I couldn't let them take him away, I couldn't." Her eyes filled with tears as she tried to turn her head to look at the curtained bed. Kat's blood turned to ice in her veins when she realized that that must be where her dead father was.

"I know, Mum, I know," James said in a low, soothing voice. He planted a gentle kiss on Annalisa's forehead.

"And my baby girl is here!" she said, noticing Kat for the first time. She released James' shoulder and held out her hand to Kat, beckoning her closer. Kat hurried over and knelt next to the bed beside James. Her mother reached out with her frail hands and cupped Kat's cheek. "I always wanted a beautiful baby girl to go with my beautiful James." A tear rolled down her cheek. "My beautiful children…" she gave a wheezing cough that made Kat wince. "Let me look at the two of you together." Obediently, James and Kat stood and leaned over their mother so she could look at them. "Beautiful," she said with a watery smile.

"Mum…what happened?" James asked quietly.

Her face closed up almost immediately. Even in her weakened state, Mrs. Potter was a strong woman. "Nothing you need to worry about now, dear. What's done is done. Your father and I—" but as soon as she said 'father,' she burst into tears and lost her ability for coherent sentences. "I wouldn't let them take him away!" she started repeating again, over and over again. James tried stroking her face to subdue her, but that didn't work. She seemed to think that James was her husband's ghost and that set her off even more. "No, no! You didn't! You have to go on, don't wait for me! Don't wait for me!" James looked helplessly around the room but Kat felt as useless as he did. Sirius was standing uncomfortably in the corner looking like he wanted to be somewhere else.

The nurse waiting out in the hall came in a few seconds later, accompanied by another mediwizard. They had a beaker full of a highly potent calming draught which they coaxed Annalisa into drinking. She fell asleep shortly after and the healers led James, Kat, and Sirius out into the hallway.

"You can see her when she wakes up again," Penny Merrythought said. "She gets like this every few hours and we have to give her a high dosage of calming draught."

"Now there are a few things we would like to discuss with you," the mediwizard said in a deep voice. He wasn't wearing a nametag. "Your mother would not let us remove your father's body. Out of respect for her wishes until her family arrived, we have done what she asked, but beds are sorely needed during a time like this, and we have to move him. Where would you like him taken?"

Kat felt like she was going to faint. _How lucky that we're already in a hospital…_But James seemed to have gained some control over the situation. He called their house elves, Lucy, Tiny, and Buffy and ordered them to take his father's body home and prepare a new grave in the family plot. "And Lucy," James croaked.

"Yes, Master James?" Lucy said as she wiped her eyes on her tea towel.

"You might want to be prepared for a second one."

"Yes, Master."

The elves shuffled in to the hospital room where there mistress was in a potion induced sleep. They cried and sniffled quietly as they pulled back the heavy curtains surrounding the other bed and revealed Alexander Potter. He looked very similar to the state his wife was in. He appeared to have aged fifty years and his hair was entirely white. His face was much, much thinner than Kat remembered it being the last time they saw him, and his eyes were sunken in. the house elves tucked the sheet more firmly around his body and apparated away with him, leaving an empty mattress. Kat started crying again.

When their mother woke again, James and Kat could tell it was for the last time. She was at the end of her life and each breath seemed like her last. Her eyes couldn't stay focused on more than one thing at a time and wandered around the room quite a bit as the spoke softly to her. She greeted Sirius quite normally when she realized he was there, as if he was over at the house visiting one day. He tried greeting her back just as normally but choked a bit on the delivery. She didn't notice. She asked if they had seen their father recently, she wanted to tell him that she loved him.

"Yes, Mum. We have. We brought him home," Kat said, speaking for the first time since they were at school.

"Good, dear. Good." She closed her eyes. James kissed her forehead gently again. After that, they just listened to her breath become more and more labored until, suddenly, it stopped. Kat let out a wail and started sobbing with her head in her hands.

Sometime after that, the healers entered the room again. There was a slight scuffle in which James vented in the only way that seemed to make sense to him, but he had obviously forgotten that he was a wizard with a wand—he broke the mediwizard's nose with his elbow and had to be forcibly restrained. Sirius took him out of the room to calm him down, leaving Kat alone to stare unseeingly at the body of the woman who had been her mother for such a brief period of time. Kat had no idea how much time passed while she sat there staring at her mother's frail face. Eventually, the house elves appeared in the room, crying, and took her away. James and Sirius stood by the door. James seemed unable to speak, so Sirius was asking all the questions.

"I'm so sorry, but there was nothing more that we could do," Penny Merrythought said. There were tears in her eyes, but Kat still felt like hexing her into a million pieces.

"Are there any papers we need to fill out or anything?" Sirius responded with one of his darkest looks. James was pacing the room, wringing his hands.

"Of course. Are you family?"

"I'm close enough," Sirius responded gruffly. He turned to Kat. "Take him home, will you? I'll meet you there." His face was a mask but Kat could see the pain in his eyes. She nodded. Sirius left with the healers and she was alone with James.

Kat walked over to where we was pacing and grabbed his hand. He stopped immediately and gazed at her. His eyes were out of focus behind his glasses. "Hey, we gotta go," she said softly, giving his hand a squeeze. He nodded and allowed her to lead him from the room. They shuffled through the hospital together, oblivious to everything that was happening around them. Kat miraculously managed to bring them back to the room they had arrived in without getting lost. It felt like years had passed since James accosted the wizard at the desk. This time, it was Kat who marched up to the desk. "We need to use the Floo Network to get home."

"I'm sorry, Miss, but the Ministry has still sealed it off," the redheaded wizard said in a businesslike fashion.

"Don't give me that dung," Kat snapped angrily. "We came here using floo powder you troll!"

"But that was under very special circumstances, with Albus Dumbledore—"

Kat could feel the anger coursing through her veins. Her hand plunged into the pocket of her robes and she pulled out her wand. "We're going to use the floo," she said, brandishing her wand menacingly.

"You can threaten me all you want, Miss Potter, but it won't help you any," the wizard responded coolly.

Kat's nerve broke and she started crying again. "Look," she said, "I just lost both of my parents and I really, really want to get home. You have to help me."

They wizard eyed her wearily, obviously helpless when it came to crying teenage girls. James just scuffed his feet on the floor, his hand still in Kat's. "Look," the redhead said, "I can help you a little bit. If you can get to the Ministry the Muggle way, one of my mates, Travers, is in the Floo Department. If you give him this," he handed Kat a slip of parchment, "he can send you where you want to go."

"I don't even know how to get to the Ministry the Muggle way!" Kat moaned.

"I do," James said quietly, speaking in a raspy voice for the first time. "Dad took me once."

"But, don't you need Muggle money?" Kat asked after taking a deep breath to try and calm down. "We don't have any," she said miserably.

"Here," the wizard took out a few silver Sickles and transfigured them into several crisp ten pound notes. "I think that should get you there." He handed the bills over to Kat with a dubious look on his face. Kat took them and studied them with interest. "I think there's an Underground station somewhere down the street."

"What's the Underground?"

"Muggle transport system," muttered James.

Kat stuffed the bills in her pocket and stashed her wand away as well. "Thanks," she mumbled, staring at the floor.

"Don't mention it," the wizard said shortly. He sat back down behind his desk and reorganized his papers.

James started to head for the door but Kat stopped him. "We have to wait for Sirius."

"I'm here," came a familiar growl from the door. Sirius was leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his trouser pockets. "So we're taking the Tube?" James nodded and pushed past his friend and pulled Kat along by her hand. Kat grasp Sirius' hand as she past and together the three of them left the hospital.

As soon as they stepped onto the street Kat turned around, curious despite her emotional state, to see what St. Mungo's looked like from the outside. It looked like an abandoned shop front. A sign stating 'Closed for Renovations' stood in a dusty window display along with several mannequins wearing outdated outfits. A woman walking by with her friend just then complained about it never being open.

"Which way d'you reckon we have to go?" Kat said aloud, hoping one of the boys would know where they were. Unfortunately, neither James nor Sirius seemed to have the foggiest idea. James didn't look like he was up to serious thinking or traipsing around downtown London for an extended period of time. Sirius glanced down to the more crowded end of the street and decided that was their best bet and pulled them in that direction.

They got a lot of strange looks as they navigated the streets—their cloaks received a lot of attention, but it was too cold for them to take them off and stuff them in Kat's bag. They came across a locator that pointed them in the direction of the closest Underground station. It turned out that they had been going in the total wrong direction. Kat was amazed, even though her numbed state prevented her from doing much thinking, at how loud the city of London was. Everywhere she looked, Muggles dressed in suits rushed by them. They passed a construction zone where she saw a Muggle holding on to a weird looking metal instrument that was bouncing quickly up and down, grinding up the concrete beneath him. Sounds and activity assaulted them on all sides until James pointed out the sign for the Underground some distance up ahead. They descended the steps quickly and paused just in front of the turnstiles, unsure what to do. Perhaps seeing their bewildered faces and bizarre clothing, a transport worker made his way over to them.

"Lost are you, love?" he asked Kat. She nodded. "You need to buy a ticket over there first." He pointed over to a small kiosk. They thanked him and made their way over. Since James knew what stop they needed to get off at, Kat thrust him the money and left him to figure out how to pay the woman behind the counter.

"How are you holding up?" Sirius asked quietly. Kat didn't answer but shot a how-the-bloody-hell-do-you-think-I'm-holding-up glare at him. He didn't press the issue.

"Here," James said, thrusting tickets at them. He went through the turnstile first to show them what to do. When Kat made it to the other side, she grabbed James' hand again, nervous to ride Muggle transport. She didn't want to get lost. They climbed down two more sets of stairs before they reached the platform. They only had to wait a few minutes before the train appeared. The train journey itself didn't take very long and they only had to switch trains once. More people stared at them when they got on the second train, but no one commented on it and continued minding their own business.

James led them back up to street level and down a few streets before they reached a red phone booth. He gestured for Sirius and Kat to get in before him and slid the door shut behind him. He punched in a series of buttons on the keypad and a cool female voice greeted them and asked what their business at the Ministry of Magic that morning. _It's still morning? _Kat thought blankly as three buttons fell from the change chute. James handed them out. Kat glanced down at hers and it read _Catherine Potter Grieving Daughter_. Instead of pinning it to his robes like the witch's voice requested, James stuffed his button into his pocket. Kat followed suit. The phone booth then began to sink into the ground and the street above them slowly disappeared from sight.

Kat was impressed with how large the Ministry of Magic really was and how the magical community could keep it all hidden from the Muggles. Witches and wizards were hurrying about past the giant fountain and statue that held the most prominent position in the hall, depicting a wizard, house elf, goblin, and centaur. James led Kat and Sirius passed it as he crossed the floor. He hadn't made it very far when a witch wearing a bottle green cloak stepped in front of him.

"Oh, James," she said sadly. "I've just heard. I was in here visiting one of my colleagues—"

"Thank you Bathilda, but we have to go," and James pushed by her.

_Bathilda? Why does that name sound so familiar…? Oh, Bagshot. Right. _

Several fireplaces stood on the side of the hall that James was making a beeline for. Only one actually had a fire burning in it, and there appeared to be guards standing on either side of it. A desk was set up just to the side of it with an elderly wizard in deep blue robes was sitting. James stomped over to him.

"Show him the parchment, Kat," he said, glaring at the man behind the desk. The man frowned at being addressed in such a rude manner.

"Erm, are you Travers?" Kat asked first.

Looking thankful that Kat was the one talking now, he said "Yes, love. What do you need?"

Kat fished the parchment that the man at St. Mungo's had given them and handed it over. Travers took it and furrowed his brow as he read. He looked up at where one teenage boy was glaring daggers at him, a teenage girl was staring at him with big, watery eyes, and a third teenage boy was staring coolly at him and managed a small, sympathetic smile. He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a small tin. "Where do you need to go?"

"To my house, of course," James snapped.

"Right this way," Travers rose and walked over to the only hearth with flames still in it. He nodded to the two wizards standing guard before gesturing for James to step forward. He held out the tin. "Well, on your way."

Without hesitation, James grabbed a handful of powder, threw it into the flames, stepped in, said "Potter Manor" and disappeared in a roar of green flames. Kat followed close behind.

The house elves were waiting for them when they appeared in the kitchen.

"So sorry, Master," Lucy was saying. "But we was tending to the Master and Mistress or Lucy would have sent the others to get you, sir."

James waved away her excuses. "Don't worry about it, Lucy. We're here now, and that's what matters." He sat heavily on a stool. "We need to make arrangements," he said, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Arrangements have already been made, sir," Lucy said in her squeaky voice.

James looked up. "What do you mean, they've already been made?" Sirius zoomed out of the fireplace and landed next to Kat. She and James ignored him and continued listening to Lucy.

"Master Alexander and Mistress Annalisa made the plans themselves, sir. They says to Lucy, 'Lucy, if ever something happens to us and we dies, Lucy, make sure yous follows this.' And they gives me a long, written order sir, of the people to invite, what to do with their b-b-bodies and where their wills are and everythings. Lucy says to them, 'of course Master and Mistress! But Lucy hopes that that will never happen.'" She gave an extremely loud sniff. "But of course dids sir! It dids!"

"Where are they now?"

"In the study, sir. Lucy can show you if you likes."

"No!" James exclaimed violently. Then he ran both his hands through his hair and tugged on a few clumps. "No," he repeated, sounding totally worn out. "Not today, Lucy. Tomorrow. I have to…I have to get some sleep." James slumped off his stool and left the kitchen.

"Would Mistress Catherine or Master Sirius like anything to eat?" Lucy asked miserably.

"Just some toast," Sirius said, sitting on the stool James had just vacated. When Kat shot him a look, he threw his arms up and said, "Well sorry! I didn't exactly eat breakfast this morning and Alexander and Annalisa wouldn't want me starving myself on account of them!" When the elves arrived with a plate of toast he grabbed it from them without a work of thanks and began eating. Unable to stand and watch Sirius eat when her parents were dead, Kat fled the kitchen.

Perhaps it was because they were the only people in the house, but suddenly everything seemed much larger and infinitely quieter. Even the ticking of the grandfather clock in the foyer seemed quieter and the stairs didn't seem to creak as much when Kat stomped her way up them. The red carpeting muffled her footsteps as she made her way to the Purple Room, her room, her sanctuary.

Nothing much had changed about the room since the Potters had given it to her over a year ago. The walls were still lavender and the curtains and bedspread were the same purple. Feeling out of place in her Hogwarts uniform, Kat threw open the door to her closet and dug until she found on of James' old shirts and a pair of sweat pants. She discarded her uniform, kicked off the red slippers she was still wearing, and pulled on the much comfier clothes. She locked the door and glanced around the beautiful room that her parents had given her, and threw herself onto her bed and cried. When someone started pounding on her door a few hours later, she ignored them and crawled under the covers instead.

* * *

Kat must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes again, her room was only dimly lit. It took her a moment to figure out what had woken her up. She had been planning on sleeping until she died, but obviously she hadn't been allowed to do so. She sat up and saw what had broken through her slumber—a little owl was tapping at the window. She lay back down and closed her eyes again, willing the owl away.

_Tap, tap, tap. _

Kat grabbed a pillow and threw it at the window, hoping to scare the owl away. She simply didn't want to talk to anyone or hear their words of pity and comfort. She wanted to stay in bed and be miserable until she died from over utilization of her tear ducts. Who would care?

_Tap, tap, tap. _

Kat wanted to scream. She sat up quickly and fixed the bird with a deadly stare but it continued tapping away at the glass and hooted. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stomped over to the window, intent on pulling the curtains shut and blocking out the sight of the owl and hopefully muffling the noise it made. However, right when she reached the window, a second, larger, owl landed on the windowsill and began tapping on the glass as well. Kat groaned and angrily wrenched the window open, if anything to just stop the noise. The two owls flew silently into her room and perched on the back of her chair in front of her dresser. The first owl, the smaller of the two, held out his leg first to Kat. She gently took the letter from his offered leg and had every intent on chucking it out the window. As if sensing this, the bird nipped lightly at her fingers and glared at her. Kat sighed. _Damn smart bird. _She opened the letter. It was from Lily.

_Dear Kat,_

_Oh my goodness, I can't believe this happened! Professor McGonagall just came to the common room and informed everyone to give you and James some space because you were dealing with a family tragedy. We had no idea what she was talking about, but I heard Nearly Headless Nick talking to one of the other ghosts about it. Your mother and father? That's just awful. If there's anything you need, anything at all, just let me know and I'll do it. Seriously, don't hesitate to ask. If you want, I'll send you all our assignments that we get this week so you can keep up on it. McGonagall said something about you not coming back to Hogwarts for a week. _

_I'm so, so sorry. All the girls send their love. _

_Love,_

_Lily _

Kat felt no emotion as she read her friend's letter. She set it down on her bureau. _I guess we'll be staying here for a week. _The second owl held out its leg. She took the letter. This one was much longer.

_Dear Miss Potter, _

_We express our deepest condolences for you lost. We were astounded when we heard the news that two such strong willed individuals were snatched from this life so quickly. _

Blah, blah, blah. Kat skimmed most of the letter, trying to figure out what they wanted. There it was, at the very end.

_They were doing a lot of great work for the Ministry. Perhaps you could give us access to their records so we can share with our staff some of their more noble campaigns. _

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Teldryn Sero_

_Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement _

Teldryn Sero wanted to know what the Potters had been doing when they had caught this "illness." He wanted to know what kind of spying they had done. Well Kat wasn't going to tell him. He could mind his own damn business.

Faintly, she could hear the sound of someone playing the piano. It was a sad, melancholic sound that made Kat want to curl up in bed and never leave her room again. Instead, she pulled a fluffy white bathrobe from her closet, stepped into her slippers again and wandered down the hall to the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and turned the shower on. Kat undressed and stood under the hot water and turned it on to the hottest setting she could endure. She stayed that way for maybe ten minutes, facing the oncoming gush of hot, steamy water with her eyes closed, focusing on her breathing and nothing else. She climbed out some thirty minutes later when the hot water began to run out, feeling less like a zombie. Thick clouds of steam billowed through the room and the mirror was so fogged up it could have been part of the wall. She could still hear the sound of someone playing the piano downstairs as she toweled dry and pulled the bathrobe tight around her. Slinging her wet hair up into a bun and sliding into the red slippers once more, Kat left the bathroom, leaving her clothes in a pile on the floor.

Kat eventually meandered down to the piano room where she found James, with his back to her, playing the piano. It had a sad, lonely tune to it, as if no one had bothered playing it in ages, which was true. James was the only one in the family who could really play the piano and they hadn't come home for Christmas, so the piano had been unused since the summer holidays. The thought made Kat sad.

Without a word, Kat crossed the wide room with its beautiful paintings and towering ceiling to sit on the piano bench next to her brother. He didn't acknowledge her presence, but just continued playing. He had his eyes closed, yet his fingers still knew where to go on the ivory keys. They stayed that way for a while until James finished the song he was playing. He opened his eyes and looked at Kat.

"Are you wearing a bathrobe?" he asked quietly, his brow furrowed slightly in confusion.

"Yes, James. Yes I am," Kat said, putting her nose in the air slightly. "It's comfortable and I don't want to move out of it."

"But is that all you're wearing?" James asked incredulously. Kat felt herself turn a slight shade of pink. James laughed a small, pathetic, disbelieving laugh, but Kat thought it was the most beautiful thing she had heard all day. If James could still laugh, maybe everything would be alright. Just maybe. "Where is Sirius?"

"The last time I saw him," said Kat, "he was in the kitchen eating." As she said these words, James' stomach let out an almighty growl. "Hungry, are you?"

His lips twitched up a bit in an attempted smile. "Maybe just a little."

"Well let's go get you some food, then." Kat stood up and started shuffling toward the door.

"Now hold up just a minute!" James jogged to catch up with her. "Sirius is probably going to be there."

"And?"

"And you must be daft if you think I'm going to let my sister walk in on a bloke while wearing nothing but a bathrobe."

"But James, it's so comfy! And it's only Sirius—"

"Exactly. It's Sirius," James stared seriously at her. "Who knows what he would do if you walk in practically naked."

"I am _not _naked," Kat muttered, but she could see his point. She was almost tempted to do it, just to see Sirius' reaction, but her playfulness dissipated when she remembered why they were in the house alone in the first place. Reluctantly she agreed to meet him in the kitchen after she changed.

James was wolfing down a Cornish pasty at the long dining room table when she finally found him. There was a platter in front of him that was stacked with more pasties along with a glass of dark amber liquid. Sirius was sitting across from him staring up at the ceiling, his face a complete mask. There was a letter lying open on the tablecloth in front of him and another glass of the same liquid James was drinking. Both boys looked up when Kat entered the room. She was redressed in her sweatpants and slid into the high backed chair next to James. He offered her a pasty but she shook her head—she had never felt less like eating.

"Dumbledore sent a letter," Sirius said, gesturing at the parchment before him. "He says, if we want, that we can return to the school tomorrow to pick up some things and that we have been excused for the next five days. We don't have to be back until Thursday."

"Are you going back?" Kat asked the pair of them.

Sirius shrugged. "I might. Just to pick up some clothes." He took a sip from his glass. Kat caught the strong whiff of alcohol. _Fire whiskey. _"James?"

James shrugged too but his mouth was too full to answer. He looked expectantly at Kat.

"Well, it would be nice maybe to get a few things. I want to get the pearls that Mum and Dad gave me for Christmas." Her eyes filled with tears again. _Will I ever stop crying? Or will my body adapt and leave my heart to cry silently? _She blinked rapidly to dispel the wetness from her eyes.

"Well if we do go, we should go soon and do it fast. That'll give them less of an opportunity to glean gossip from us," Sirius said, his eyes flashing. Kat didn't need to ask who they were. If anything Lily's letter had said was correct, the whole school would know about the deaths of the Potters and Kat didn't know if she could stand their sympathy or their nagging questions that were sure to erupt the first time she set foot in the castle again.

"M'not going," James said washing down his pasty with the last of his fire whiskey. He waved his wand and a bottle floated out of the liquor cabinet and poured James a new glass before settling with a soft thump on the table. Even though he wasn't using it for the most innocent purposes and never had, James' skill with magic was incredible. She herself still couldn't perform a single nonverbal spell.

"Well," Kat said, "I'll stay with you." James didn't say anything else, but shot back his whole glass in one gulp and winced. Kat frowned but didn't say anything to stop him. If James wanted to drown his sorrows in fire whiskey, Kat didn't want to be the one to stop him. "You can't be here all by yourself."

"I'll be back in a few hours at the most. It's nearly curfew anyway so I should only really have to deal with Gryffindors," Sirius said, rising from the table. He grabbed a bag that Kat hadn't seen. "Kat, can I talk to you for a second?"

Kat nodded and rose as well. James started work on another Cornish pasty. He didn't even say good-bye to Sirius. Kat followed Sirius into the kitchen to the giant hearth they had arrived there in.

"Keep an eye on him," Sirius said, with his back to her as he busied himself with taking spare quills and bits of parchment from his rucksack. "Make sure he doesn't do anything idiotic."

"I will," Kat said quietly, staring at the floor. She suddenly felt incredibly tired. She felt like she could sleep until the new millennium.

"Kat," Sirius said in a tone that made her look up. His face was closer to hers and his expression had softened. She could see the pain returning to his eyes. He didn't say anything else, but took her in his arms. Kat stiffened up, surprised by the sudden embrace, but she raised her arms and hugged him back. The whole day came rushing back to her then, in the comfort and support of Sirius' strong arms and she felt her resolve crack. Her eyes became wet again and her breathing ragged. She positively clung to Sirius, desperate for any bit of affection that could help her fight the battle with grief and despair. Her heart broke just a bit when Sirius broke the embrace. "I shouldn't be gone long," he said gruffly, turning around again.

"M'kay," Kat sniffed. She scuffed the stone floor with one of her slippers. "Sirius," she said softly.

"Hmm?"

She looked up into his grey eyes, a swirl of thoughts and emotions coursing through her mind. But she felt suddenly unsure how to put any of it into words. For some reason, Slughorn's Valentine's Day party leapt into her mind, but Kat pushed the stupid thought away. "Ask Lily to get some clothes together for me. And my pearls please, and Mr. Snowy," she said instead.

Sirius nodded. He took a handful of floo powder from the flowerpot on the mantle and threw it into the fire. "Albus Dumbledore's office," he said, stepping into the green flames. Kat stared into the fire he had just disappeared into and sighed deeply.

"Would the miss like to eat?" Buffy the house elf squeaked quietly.

Kat jumped at the noise; she had thought she and Sirius were alone in the kitchen. "No thank you, Buffy," she said. Kat figured it would be best if she went up to check on James. In one day, he had lost the people who had raised him and was now considered an orphan. He might very well do something stupid.

But James was in the exact same place as she had left him before, sitting at the long, dark dining room table, nursing a glass of fire whiskey. Kat took a glass out of the cabinet and sat in the seat Sirius had been using. She poured herself some fire whiskey and took a sip, staring at James. He didn't look up his eyes were glued to the blue patterned tablecloth. They sat in silence and drank together.

* * *

"Ah, Mister Black," Professor Dumbledore's voice greeted him when he zoomed out of the fireplace onto the carpet.

Sirius straightened and wiped the dust from his pants. "Professor," he said in greeting.

"I take it Miss Catherine and Mister James are well?"

"Of course they aren't," Sirius snapped, losing his temper. The look on Kat's face when he had left had nearly shredded him to bits and pieces and James would probably drink himself into a stupor. "They just lost both of their parents in one day. Why the hell would they be alright?" he balled his hands up into fists at his side.

"I know, I know," Dumbledore sighed, massaging his temples. He looked far older than Sirius had ever seen him. Each line and wrinkle stood out on his face more pronounced than ever and there was true sorrow behind his eyes. "I take it they sent you to gather their things for them?"

"I volunteered," he said stiffly. "I figured it would be better if I did it since they didn't want to face people. I can get their stuff and be back here in ten minutes."

"How kind of you. The school has been informed of their loss and has been asked to leave everyone involved alone, and that includes you. If you have any troubles—"

"I'll jinx them." Sirius turned on his heel and stormed out of Dumbledore's office. He took the steps two at a time. The corridors were dark and he could see the stars shining through the windows. The clouds that had been present earlier that day had cleared and he could see the moon floating peacefully in the inky black sky.

He didn't want to think about what had happened today, but, as what naturally happens, the only things that popped into his mind had to do with Alexander and Annalisa Potter and their children. Sirius wanted to punch something. Badly. He wanted to hex something into a million, billion pieces. He wanted to cry until the sun came up and maybe even until it went down again. Of all people to die, the Potters were the least deserving. They hadn't objected to his being friends with James back in first year, even though several other families had very little but spite and hatred for the Black family. Alexander and Annalisa had been delighted that their little boy had made such fast friends with another boy from school. When he, James, Peter, and Remus began running around their house all summer long, the Potters had invited all of the boys to stay for as long as they wanted, a few times he had spent the entire summer there and Sirius hadn't had to go home at all. And then, one of the greatest things they had ever done in Sirius' eyes, they had accepted a complete stranger into their household, just because she was homeless and alone. The Potters' adoption of Kat cemented their sainthood in Sirius' mind, and from that point forward, James' parents could do no wrong. When he had finally called it quits with his own failure of a family, he had anticipated only crashing at James' house for a few nights, a week at most. When they invited him to stay permanently, Sirius felt like crying with relief and love.

Love.

The first people he had ever loved were the Potters, all three of them, James, Alexander, and Annalisa. He had liked some of his relatives, like Andromeda, and even his brother Regulus at one point, but Andromeda was much older than him and had been excommunicated from the family, while Reg had turned into everything that Sirius hated about his family. The Potters became his real family, the ones to give him real presents on his birthday and at Christmas time, the ones who invited him over on holidays and actually liked having him around. His own parents had always raved and screeched about "blood traitors" like the Potter family, and Sirius had been apprehensive of their eleven-year-old son when he first boarded the Hogwarts Express all those years ago. But Alexander and Annalisa Potter had raised their son to be a wonderful, bright, friendly young boy, the complete opposite of what Sirius had expected and feared. His friendship with James had been the last straw for his mother, the straw that broke the hippogriff's back and made her hate him with all of her might.

But Alexander and Annalisa were gone now. Their bodies were growing cold in the study. Sirius leaned against a wall next to a suit of armor and tried to control his emotions. He took several deep breaths and forced everything else but his mission of clothes gathering back to the recesses of his mind, possibly never to be looked at again. Sirius hated emotional distress. He hated it.

He regained some of his normal, nonchalant disposition and continued on his way along the corridor. Nearly Headless Nick appeared about halfway down, floating up near the rafters.

"So terribly sorry to hear—"

"Can it, Nick," Sirius growled, increasing his pace.

"Well, I never! I was only trying to be considerate!" he heard Nick call from behind him, but Sirius ignored him.

Sirius stomped his way to the Gryffindor common room and refused to say anything at all to the Fat Lady except for the password. She had the same reaction as Nick ("Now really! Only trying to be courteous!") Sirius scanned the crowd in the common room until he found the redhead he was looking for. He pushed several fourth and third years out of the way as he stormed over to her.

"You, Evans," he growled.

Lily Evan's head shot up from the essay she was writing. Her expression changed from confusion to commiseration faster than Sirius had thought possible. "Hello, Black. How are you holding up?"

"Never mind that," he snapped. He wanted to get back to James and Kat as soon as possible. "I need you to go up to your dormitory and grab anything that you think Kat might need. She wants the pearls she got for Christmas, too. Don't forget her rabbit." Without waiting for Lily's response, Sirius turned on his heel and walked quickly up the stairs to his own dorm. Remus and Peter were inside talking quietly. Their heads snapped up when they heard his heels clicking on the stone.

"Padfoot!" Peter cried and jumped off his bed. "I can't believe—"

"I don't have time for this," Sirius said. He ripped open his trunk and started stuffing whatever clothes he grabbed hold of in. He did the same with James' trunk.

"Tell James and Kat—"

"Whatever, Remus."

"We're only trying to help, Sirius," Remus said coolly, glaring at Sirius with his eyes narrowed.

Sirius let his shoulders slump. "I know, I know," he said. "I just don't know what to do." He sat heavily on James' bed. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do, or how I'm supposed to act. All I do know is that I have to be strong for James and Kat." He looked up at his friends. "James has already started drinking and it only happened this morning."

Remus and Peter winced. "Is Kat—" Peter began.

"She's looking after James, but I don't want to leave the two of them alone for long. What if they need me?" He jumped off the bed and frantically started stuffing more clothing in his rucksack. He had bewitched it earlier so that it was bigger on the inside.

"Just be there for them, mate. It's all you can do," Remus said quietly. "And we're here for you too." He placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder and squeezed. "We're with you guys all the way, right Pete?" Peter nodded emphatically.

"Thanks guys," Sirius said, smiling for the first time that whole day. "I'll write you when I'm back and let you know how everything is." He sped back down to the common room and waited impatiently for Lily to come back.

She arrived with a small bag stuffed with clothes. She was holding Mr. Snowy's cage in her other hand and had a stack of textbooks stuffed under her arm. "In case she wants to distract herself from everything," Lily responded to his raised eyebrow.

"I highly doubt that she is going to want to do homework, Evans," Sirius said skeptically as he stuffed the bag she gave him into his rucksack. "But give me them anyway." Lily obligingly handed over the mass of books.

"Be kind to her, Sirius," Lily said softly. She didn't have to elaborate about who she was talking about. He already had that sickening swooping sensation in his stomach that he wasn't really sure he liked. It happened every time Kat was in the room with him or someone mentioned her. It was difficult to deal with.

"I could say the same thing to you about James," he said, steering into waters he knew better. If there was anything that he could take his anger out on, it was Lily Evans and the stubborn, rude way she treated his best mate.

"You and I both know that I've never gone out of my way to be cruel to James. If anyone is to blame, it's himself for being such a stupid prat all of the time and assuming that every girl falls head over heels for him," Lily said with a faint flush.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Spare me the lecture and hand over the rabbit. Come on!" He held his hand out for Mr. Snowy's cage. Lily handed him over reluctantly.

"Now you be careful with him!"

"Relax, Evans. I'm the one who gave him to Kat, remember? I have a way with animals." He pulled the rucksack onto his back and held the cage in his left hand. "Thanks," he said, patting Lily on the arm awkwardly.

"Anytime."

Sirius was just about to leave through the portrait hole when something tugged on his rucksack. He turned around and there was little Ernie Summers.

"Is Kat going to be alright?" He asked, his eyes over bright.

"Go away," Sirius snapped. He tried to leave again but Summers grabbed the rucksack again. _What the hell is with this kid?_

"You'd better be nice to her. If you make her cry, I'll—"

Sirius let out a roar and grabbed Summers by his shoulders and slammed him up against the wall. "Shut. Up." It took every ounce of his self-control not to punch the kid in the face and break his nose. _What kind of person am I? This kid is only twelve or thirteen. _As quick as it happened, Sirius let go and stormed out of the common room, hearing the hisses whispers behind him turn into loud conversations.

Trying hard to rein his emotions back in, Sirius began the trek back up to Dumbledore's office. It had been a very, very long time since he had lost control like that. It couldn't happen again, especially in front of Kat.

His head felt like it was swimming and each step became more difficult than the last. The rucksack, though enchanted to weigh a fraction of its actual load, was beginning to cut into his shoulders and even the light rabbit cage began to seem impossibly heavy. He was utterly exhausted when he made it back to the griffin statue. "Fizzing Whizbee!" The statue sprang to life and allowed Sirius to pass and begin climbing stairs up to the headmaster's office. He knocked once on the door before letting himself in. Dumbledore was still sitting behind his desk where Sirius had last seen him. He barely looked up when Sirius entered. He merely gestured to the floo powder that they had used early in the day to make it to St. Mungo's.

"Take care of them, Sirius," Dumbledore said softly. Sirius looked at him in surprise. He had never heard him speak so kindly. Usually when he saw Dumbledore, it was because he was being reprimanded for some bout of rule breaking. Now, however, Dumbledore sounded like a grandfather telling his grandson to watch out for his brothers and sisters. It unnerved him a little.

"Potter Manor!" Sirius told the flames as he stepped in. Professor Dumbledore's office disappeared in a spinning blur. A moment later, Sirius was back in the Potters' kitchen, staring around at the dozens of pots and pans that hung from the ceiling.

He found James and Kat in the dining room. James had his head resting among the Cornish pasties on the platter and was snoring heavily, a half empty glass of fire whiskey just out of reach. Kat was sitting in the chair opposite from him, sipping from her own glass and swaying slightly. She looked up at him with her big, green eyes that had a sort of misty quality about them. _Great, she's drunk too. _He sighed, gently placed Mr. Snowy's cage on the table, and dropped the rucksack to the floor with a dull thud.

"Help me with him, would you?" He asked, gesturing at James. Kat nodded and together they managed to hoist James up between them. Trying hard not to roll his eyes at the way James was snoring loudly, Sirius began steering them out of the dining room and to the main staircase. Sirius stared doubtfully up the stairs as he and Kat supported James. _No way we make it up there. _He pulled out his wand, pointed it at James, and muttered, "_Windgardium leviosa._" He began floating a few centimeters off the ground and Sirius told Kat that she could let go of him. He guided James up the stairs, holding his wand in front of him like a conductor's baton. The tips of James' trainers gently brushed the stairs as they ascended. They continued down the hall after that and Sirius kept the spell going until James was floating above his bed. He cut the spell and James fell into an ungraceful heap on top of his pillows and blankets, still snoring loudly. Sirius took his shoes and glasses off for him, putting his shoes on the floor at the foot of the bed and his glasses on the bedside table. Then he backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

He leaned heavily against the frame with his eyes closed, forcing himself to stay awake. When he opened them, Kat was standing on the landing in her cute, red slippers, staring at him.

"C'mon, you need to get to bed too," Sirius grabbed her hand and led her down to the other end of the hallway to where her room was. He opened the door for her and helped her into bed. She closed her eyes as soon as she was snuggled under the blankets and he thought that she had fallen asleep already. He turned to leave.

"Please don't go."

He turned around. Kat's eyes were still shut but there was a slight crease on her forehead. "Go to sleep, Kat. I'll be just down the hall, across from James. Come and get one of us if you need anything."

"Please, don't go," she pleaded again. "I don't want to be alone." Her eyes were open now and they were staring at him, imploringly.

_I'm too bloody nice. _"Alright, you win. I'll stay for a little while." He made to sit in the chair in front of her dresser but she stopped him.

"No, come here." She patted the empty space in her bed. "There's enough room for the two of us. And even extra pillows." She was right. The bed was large enough to fit four people comfortably and there were all manner of pillows lying about on the side she was gesturing to.

"Kat, you don't know what you're saying. You had too much to drink tonight. I'll sit right here in this chair, alright?" He sat down tiredly, wanting more than anything to crawl into his own bed that was on the other end of the hall.

"Please? I'm scared I'll have bad dreams."

_Fine. As long as I can sleep. _"Alright, you win," he said again. He kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed as far from Kat as he could get. _This is not going to be comfortable. _"Good night, Kat," he said into the darkness.

There was a shuffle of blankets and suddenly she was right there next to him. "Good night, Sirius." She let all of her breath out in a long exhale and was asleep immediately.

Sirius thought that he would lie awake for hours, listening to the sound of her breathing and dreading the morning when James would wonder where he and Kat were, dreading the morning when they would have to face the first day with the loss of Alexander and Annalisa. Instead, he drifted off to sleep right after Kat.

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**_To be continued! Reviews put the stars in my sky! (Well that was a cheesy one...) _**

**_~neelie415_**


	11. Awkwardness at Hogwarts

**_Okay everyone, I'm sorry for the rather dramatic and frankly depressing last chapter, but it had to be done! Now things can continue and more stuff can happen. _**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related except for the Chamber of Secrets poster I bought years ago that is hanging up in my room. Other than that, everything else belongs to the lovely JK Rowling._**

**_Disclaimer Number 2: I'm terribly sorry for the horrendous Russian accent I have poor Khristine speak with. I'm not too sure about how to write out and actual Russian accent, so it makes it a little difficult to write about her. That's why I don't usually have her talk a lot, because I find her accent hard to do._**

**_Anyway, enough of the disclaimers! Let's get on with the next chapter!_**

* * *

Kat woke slowly, keeping her eyes shut and enjoying the warmth. She was nestled next to something extremely comfortable. She snuggled closer. She opened one eye and took in the scene around her. She was lying in an enormous bed that seemed faintly familiar and was surrounded on all sides by various shades of purple. _Why am I home…? _And then she remembered. Kat sat up quickly and tried to banish the thoughts of the previous day from her mind, and in the process she discovered what she had been snuggling with.

Sirius Black was lying on his back in bed next to her, mouth slightly open, one arm behind his head with his shirt wrinkled enough that Kat knew her head had been resting on his chest until a few moments ago. He turned over in his sleep and mumbled something that Kat didn't catch. A dozen thoughts ran through her mind, each more panicked than the last. She scooted over to the other side of the bed and quietly slid out from under the sheets. She stepped into her slippers and crept out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

_Why is Sirius Black in my bed?! _She shouted at herself in her head. She couldn't really remember the night before. She could recall sitting at the dining room table with James…and they were drinking fire whiskey! _That's what it was…_She assumed that sometime after that Sirius had come home with their school things _And then he climbed into bed with me? _Kat shook her head and decided to see if James was awake yet.

She knocked lightly on his door but there was no answer. The door creaked slightly as she opened it a hair. James was snoring loudly, lying on top of his covers, still wearing his Hogwart's uniform. _He looks so peaceful. _She closed the door softly behind her, her heart aching.

_When was the last time I ate?_ Kat couldn't remember. She decided that she should try to eat something down in the kitchens. Kat padded silently back down the hallway to the staircase. The dim light coming in through the windows on the landing told her that it was just before dawn. She stifled a yawn and walked through the quiet house. The songs of birds chirping outside and the ticking of the grandfather clock were the only sounds. The house elves were absent when Kat arrived in the kitchen. She rummaged around in the cabinets and pantry until she found some strawberries.

She sat down at the high counter on a stool and stared down at the red berries sitting in the bowl in front of her. They reminded her of last Christmas when her father had slipped fire whiskey into James and Sirius' drinks and the three of them had gotten drunk. Now James was upstairs sleeping off the whiskey that he had drunk to forget the death of both of his parents. She lost her appetite.

The only good thing Kat could see about what had happened over the last twenty-four hours was that she hadn't had any upsetting dreams; either her grief or Sirius had taken care of that. She honestly didn't want to know, but was happy that she didn't have any more stress heaped on to her by getting a peak at the future.

She set the strawberries aside and decided to wander around the house while she waited for James and Sirius to wake up. Her tour took her through the dining room, past the piano room, gave the study a wide berth, through the long hallways where family portraits hung, to the green house. The Potters prided themselves on the assortment of magical and mundane plants that survived the cold winters in the green house. Roses the size of carriage wheels in every color under the sun greeted Kat just as the sun started peeking through the glass windows. Tulips spilled out of the beds they shared with large dirigible plums. There was even a mandrake tucked away in the corner in its own pot just in case someone needed its serious healing capabilities. She enjoyed blissfully moving through the rows of plants. A few she recognized from Herbology (like the Honking Daffodils) but a few were still alien to her. Gradually, her thoughts began to turn to her parents.

She should have seen it coming, really. Kat had been so happy about her life since the day she first met the Potters and things had started to look up. She had a great group of friends, wasn't doing too poorly at school, and had, for the first time, parents who didn't think she was a waste of space or magical blood. The universe could only let her stay happy for so long before it fixed that. Kat knew that she didn't deserve to be so happy. She had been selfish in her new life and now it was coming back to haunt her. _How could I have thought that these people actually want me in their lives? Look at where it got them. Some bizarre disease or curse had swooped in and punished them for their kindness. _She sat down hard on the dirt floor and hugged her knees to her chest.

Her fragile little world was falling apart. Terrible people like her biological parents were still alive, but the kind ones were gone. It was so unfair. She struggled against the wave of hopelessness that threatened to sweep her away. _James needs me to be there for him. I have to keep it together for his sake. He's given me everything._ Feeling resolute, Kat brushed her tears away impatiently and stood, brushing the dirt off of her pajamas. She was determined to rouse James from his sleep and kick Sirius out of her bed so they could figure out what to do next.

Kat didn't have to go all the way to James' bedroom to get him—he was sitting on the foot of the staircase in the cavernous foyer. His eyes were dull and bloodshot, but he seemed more or less awake.

"Go get some breakfast," Kat said sternly, sweeping down the hall toward him. "You look like hell."

"Yes, ma'am," James said throatily.

Kat leaned down and kissed his forehead. "It's going to be alright, okay?" She patted his cheek softly. He closed his eyes and nuzzled into her hand, but nodded. "Go get some food. I have to kick Sirius out."

"What-?"

"Don't worry about it." Kat smiled at him and he halfheartedly smiled back. Kat was halfway up the stairs when she heard him finally get up and leave.

Without pausing to knock, Kat threw her bedroom door open with a bang. "OUT!" she shouted as Sirius jumped about a meter high and fell off the bed with a crash.

Sirius swore so colorfully that Kat couldn't help but take some mental notes in case she really wanted to offend someone. "Merlin's beard!" he ended with, sitting up in a tangle of blankets. His grey eyes were bleary and his hair looked like a niffler had burrowed through it looking for gold. "Wuzzah?"

Kat pointed out the door and tried not to giggle. "Time to wake up and get out of my bed, Black!"

"I'm on the ground," he said grumpily, rubbing his eye, "aren't I?"

"And about to be out soon, too. You need to go comfort your best mate over breakfast. Shoot orange juice out of your nose or something, but make him laugh and see that everything is going to be alright."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Sirius asked, eyeing her beadily.

Kat waved him off. "I'm fine." _Lie. _"I'm perfectly fine." _Another lie. _"Go see James."

"Fine," he grumbled and stood up, a little unsteady on his feet. "But I'm taking these with me," he brandished the blankets.

Kat shrugged. "Fine with me. I have plenty."

"Last night was pretty great, don't you think?" Sirius said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at her.

For a moment, Kat felt her stomach turn cold. _Something happened? _But she saw the teasing in Sirius' eyes and she punched him in the arm when he walked by. She slammed the door behind him, alarmed by how much effort it had taken to act like everything was peachy keen. She sat in the chair in front of her dresser and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Her green eyes looked tired and Kat could see dark lines forming under them. Her long brown hair was looking lank as it hung over her shoulder. Kat frowned at it. It was so long because she had never in her life cut it before. She began to play with the ends of it, wrapping it around her hand and tugging on it. It would be so easy for her to just cut it off and feel nothing. Maybe it would help her cut out the pain that was threatening to take over her heart. Kat twisted her hair until the hand it was surrounding was just under her ear. Still frowning, Kat reached into the top drawer of her dresser and withdrew a pair of large, silver scissors. Kat didn't think about it, she just acted. In less than a second, she had cut through her hair and huge, long chunks of it fluttered to the floor. Still brandishing the scissors, Kat gazed at her lopsided reflection. Half of her hair still hung well passed her waist while the other half was cropped close to her jaw line. In another few seconds, Kat had finished the job and now stared at herself with a short bob cut. She felt lighter. Not just in weight, but in heart as well. It was as if she had cut her sadness away with the expansive lengths of chestnut hair that littered the floor. She used her wand to even up the job. Satisfied, she threw the scissors down on the dresser and practically skipped out her door.

She could get through this.

James was in no mood to eat. All he wanted to do was sit and be miserable, and he felt that he had every right to do so. His parents' bodies had grown cold in the study and he was sitting here in the kitchen _eating. _It made him feel sick, but his body needed more nourishment than the fire whiskey he had given it last night. Sirius had shown up a few minutes ago wrapped up in purple blankets that he recognized from Kat's bedroom. If he wasn't feeling so bloody miserable he would have said something like "What the hell are you doing with my sister's sheets?" but he couldn't even scrounge up the effort so instead he played with the scrambled eggs on his plate. Sirius hadn't said anything and James was grateful for his silence; he didn't feel like talking.

The boys sat in disheartened, companionable silence until Kat appeared out of nowhere. James had always been amazed by how quietly his non-biological sister could move. It was scary, really. One minute she was there, and the next she was gone. It took James a second to realize why Kat looked much smaller than usual.

She had cut off all of her hair.

Well, not all of it. It was angled right along her jaw line and made her whole frame seem slimmer, but instead of making her look younger, Kat looked like she had aged a few years. She had none of the depression that James had just seen her with this morning. Instead, she had her chin jutted out at defiant angle and there was a hardness in her eyes that hadn't been there yesterday morning. He momentarily forgot how to breathe when he realized that she had lost the little innocence he loved so well that she had retained from growing up away from the world. Kat had grown up.

"Don't panic!" Sirius said, jumping up from his stool and reaching for his wand. "We can fix it!"

"Don't be stupid, Sirius." Kat said, planting her small frame on the stool next to James. "I did this on purpose."

"Oh." Sirius sat back down.

"So," Kat said, taking a deep breath and ignoring the looks Sirius was throwing at her. James tried to ignore them too. "Who is supposed to be coming over today."

James racked his memory, trying to remember just what Professor Dumbledore had told him when they were in his office yesterday morning. "Someone from Gringotts I think, to talk about assets or something like that," he said dully. "And then we have to get everything together for a fu—" he couldn't bring himself to say it. Luckily, he didn't have to because Kat nodded.

"Actually, I think the elves might have taken care of that already," Sirius said. Surprised, James turned to stare at him. Sirius shrugged. "I heard them talking this morning on my way here."

"Lucy!"

_ Crack. _Lucy appeared on top of the counter. She looked tired and stressed out, but she answered,"Yes, Master James?"

"Have you made arrangements for my parents?" James asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Lucy nodded emphatically. "Yes sir," she said in her high-pitched voice. "The Master and Mistress left instructions sir. We will take care of it so Master James can focus on recovering, sir."

"When?"

Lucy didn't need clarification to know that he wanted to know when the funeral date was set for. "Tomorrow afternoon, sir." James nodded but remained silent. The thought of having to face all of the important Ministry witches and wizards who would undoubtedly flock to the funeral of the Potters made him uncomfortable. He looked up at his best mate. Sirius was gazing at him with his brows furrowed in concern. "Master James?" Lucy piped up.

James let out a sigh. "Yes, Lucy?"

"Could Lucy get back to work, sir?" She wrung her tiny hands, nervous to ask something of him. "There is lots to be done and Lucy wishes it done right so that Master James does not have to worry."

"Yeah," James said, waving his hand in dismissal. "Whatever." Lucy nodded and disappeared with another loud crack. "I'm going out."

"Out where?" Sirius wanted to know.

"Just…out. Don't worry, I just want to clear my head," James said running a hand through his already messy hair. He didn't wait for a response, but headed out of the kitchen almost immediately.

Without meaning to, his feet automatically took him out to the back garden to where the shed was standing. His family stored various bits of junk in the shed, but the items James was most interested in at the moment were the broomsticks that were tucked away in the corner. He grabbed the nearest one and pulled it out into the garden. He blinked in the sunlight after the brief dark of the shed and kicked off the ground hard until he was soaring upward.

Instantly, James felt better. This was where he belonged, where he could think things through or ignore them completely if he chose to. He reveled in the cold wind blowing in his face and the smell of the fresh morning air. His breath was coming out in white vapor and he ignored his fingers and toes when they began to grow numb.

_I am James Potter, _he told himself. _Not some helpless Hufflepuff. I will face this head on. _

He landed lightly back in the garden, pleased with himself. His head felt clear for the first time since yesterday and he was ready to give his parents such a sendoff that no one would wonder about their importance in his life. The front doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of the Gringotts representative just as James reentered the house. He took a deep breath, stood up straight and straightened his shoulders just like his father had taught him, and answered the door.

Lily Evans sat by the window, absent mindedly twirling her red hair with her wand with a scowl on her face. She couldn't stop thinking about James. She knew that she should be more concerned for Kat, who was actually her friend, but her mind kept turning back to James. How was he feeling? Was he alright? Did he need any help? The thoughts bothered her. She wasn't supposed to even _like _Potter, she was supposed to hate him! And she did, didn't she? Lily wasn't so sure these days.

He was still the stupid prat that he had been for the past five years that Lily was sure of. But there was also something different about him. Since the start of fifth year, really, he had changed. She suspected that meeting Kat might have something to do with it, but that wasn't all. He had given up his incessant attempts so get her to go on a date with him, and had become rather nice. She didn't understand it.

Lost in her irritated musings, she didn't notice when someone sat across from her.

"Something on your mind, Lil?" Remus asked.

She started a bit at the sound of his voice but recovered quickly, plastering a smile on her face when she saw Remus. "Oh, nothing really. Just thinking about stuff."

"They'll be here this evening, you know," Remus said, leaning back in his chair.

Lily sighed. "I know. Kat sent me an owl yesterday. I'm trying to think of something to do for them when they get back."

"Them?" Remus cocked his head. "Don't tell me that you feel bad for James and Sirius too?"

"Of course I do!" Lily exclaimed, affronted. "Potter just lost his parents and Sirius is…well I don't really know why Sirius went with them too, but I think it's perfectly normal to feel sympathetic for people who recently suffered losses."

Remus raised his hands to defend himself. "Okay, okay, relax! I just thought you hated James, is all."

She sighed again. "I don't hate him, Remus."

"Don't you?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" Lily said, pitching the last word slightly higher than usual. She put her head in her hands and groaned. "I don't know, Remus. I think your stupid mate is getting to me." She looked up just in time to see her companion laugh.

"I'm sure that'll cheer James up when he gets here."

Lily swatted at him. "Don't you dare say anything, Remus Lupin! I know where you sleep at night!"

"I'm sure you meant that as a threat," he said chuckling. Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, that was mature, Miss Prefect!"

"I know," she said with a dramatic sigh. "I need to work on that. But I also need to work on my Runes homework!" She realized suddenly. Lily bid Remus a hurried good-bye, slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, and hustled off to the library.

Lily spent a lot of time in the library and liked to think of it as a sort of second home for her. Usually, she could hide out in the library without having to worry about anyone bothering her while she finished her homework or tutored other students in Charms or Potions. Madam Pince, the librarian, actually liked Lily. Or at least, when Lily accidently knocked something over in the library (something that happened more often than one would think), Madam Pince merely glared at her instead of sending her out. Lily liked to think of that as favoritism and it was perfectly fine with her.

She selected a table near the back of the library where it was the quietest. Only the more dedicated students at Hogwarts were still inside working. She could see Frank and Alice studying together at the table to her right, getting ready for their N.E.W.T.'s. The rest had long since gone outside to enjoy the first clear day they had had in a while. Lily gave a contented sigh as she sat in her chair and pried her Ancient Runes textbook open. She began the long, pleasurable task of translating a passage and hummed to herself.

"Hey there, Evans."

Lily looked up with a start to see who had interrupted her and felt her heart skip a beat. Amos Diggory, one of the best looking blokes in the whole school, was staring down at her with a slight smirk on her face.

"Er, hi," she said awkwardly and felt herself turn red. _What is he doing here? _She rarely saw Amos doing work in the library; for all the good he was to look at, in her experience he wasn't very intelligent.

"I wanted to ask you something," he said, bending down so that his face was closer to hers. Lily unconsciously moved back a few inches; she didn't like him leaning in so close.

"Oh, yeah?"

"That's right. When's your cute little friend coming back?"

Lily blinked. "What?"

Amos rolled his eyes. "Are you going to make me say it? Catherine. She's coming to Slughorn's party with me."

"What?" Lily said again, taken aback. "She never said anything about it to me…"

"Well that's because I haven't asked her yet, but of course she's going to come with me," he said pompously, sitting in the chair opposite of Lily without asking permission. "So when's she coming back. I need to talk to her about it."

"Amos," Lily said, getting annoyed. "She's coming back from her parents' funeral. Something tells me that she won't be too keen to go out on a date with you."

Diggory didn't respond to that but said instead, "When's she coming back?"

"She'll be here this evening," Lily said, snapping her book shut. She didn't feel like working anymore.

"Perfect." He left after giving her a wink, leaving Lily with a sour taste in her mouth.

She didn't like the sound of Amos Diggory waiting to ambush Kat as soon as she arrived back at the school. She would probably be in a very fragile state and Diggory was going to ruin her homecoming by springing on to her unannounced. She hoped that Kat would be able to keep herself from punching Amos right in the nose. Lily giggled at the thought of tiny Kat punching Amos in the nose. That would make for quite the sight.

Kat stepped on to the platform and looked up at the colossal figure of Hogwarts Castle. It was strange to be stepping off of the train without the usual hustle and bustle of the hundreds of other students who usually road it. She heard James and Sirius disembark behind her. A carriage was waiting for them, but this time she could actually see what was pulling it. Kat's eyes widened as she stared up at the black, skeletal horses that were strapped into the harnesses in front of the carriage. A sharp intake of breath told her that James had seen them too.

"What are they?" she voiced aloud.

"Thestrals," Sirius grunted. "You can only see them once you've seen someone die. C'mon, let's get up to the castle." He hopped up into the carriage without hesitation. Kat followed, slower, staring wide eyed up at the strange beasts. James had to give her a little push to get her to move faster. Reluctantly, Kat tore her eyes away from the thestrals and climbed into the carriage after Sirius and sat across from him. James slid into the seat next to her and draped an arm across her shoulders, giving her a little squeeze. She glanced up and smiled at him.

"I'm happy that we're back. I want to get started again," she said.

"I want some dinner," Sirius moaned, clutching his stomach. Kat frowned at him. "Well, some of us need sustenance, Kat! Not all of us can go for days without eating.

James' head snapped up. "What?"

Kat glared reproachfully at Sirius. He glared right back. "Sirius is just exaggerating."

"No I'm not. You haven't eaten anything in days!"

James stared at her. "Is that true? Blimey, how come I didn't notice?"

"You had more important things to worry about," Kat said. "Besides, I've had tea and everything. I just haven't been hungry."

Sirius coughed. It sounded suspiciously like "lies!" But he let it go.

"Make sure you eat something at dinner!" James pleaded with her, giving her shoulder a shake. "You do look thinner…"

"That's just because I cut my hair," Kat said, waving her hand. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," she lied. Sirius was right. She hadn't eaten anything in days. Not since the day her mother had died, really. She couldn't say that she wasn't hungry because she was. She just lost her appetite or get nauseous whenever she was near food. She had stopped joining James and Sirius at mealtimes because it upset her so much. But she was feeling fine now, with the prospect of dinner waiting for them back up at the castle to look forward to, as well as everyone staring and whispering when they walked into the Great Hall…

It would have been better if Dumbledore had arranged it so that they arrived when everyone was still at lessons, or already back in their common rooms after dinner. Instead, when their carriage passed through the front gates and they got out, stragglers were wandering through the Entrance Hall and the majority of the student body was already seated at their long house tables, enabling them an excellent view when Kat walked in with James and Sirius. Immediately, whispers coursed through the Great Hall, spreading like wildfire as they took in her new shortened hair and thinner body, James' disheveled appearance, and Sirius' apparent lack of change.

"Both of them?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard. They both snuffed it."

"Shame. D'you think it'll put them off their Quidditch game? We'll be able to beat them!"

Doing her best to ignore them, Kat led the way to where Remus and Peter were sitting at the Gryffindor table. Remus stood as they approached and pulled Kat into a tight hug before embracing James firmly as well.

"Welcome back," he said.

"What's for dinner?" Sirius asked, automatically sliding onto the bench across from Peter. Pete started talking to him, but Kat couldn't hear what he was saying.

"Where's your hair?" Remus asked, eyes wide, noticing Kat's shortened locks for the first time.

She shrugged. "I just got sick of it." She slid onto the bench next to Peter. Remus cocked his head to the side but didn't say anything. He sat down on one side of her while James took the seat to her other side. James seemed determined to ensure that she ate something tonight. As soon as the food appeared on the gold platters in front of them, James started piling every available thing onto her plate, from a large helping of sprouts to a large portion of roast beef.

"James," she said.

"Shut up and eat," he responded.

Glumly, Kat regarded the amassed pile of food on her plate and picked up her fork. "Anything new happen here while we were gone?" She asked Remus as she began poking a section of roast beef halfheartedly.

Remus shrugged. "Not really. Someone flooded the Charms classroom, but I couldn't think of anyone who might have done that," he said, eyes on the ceiling.

"No way," James chuckled. "Seriously?"

Remus shrugged again. "Wormy and I were sad while you were away so we had to get it out some way."

"That's right!" Peter chimed in, grinning.

"We got three days detention for it too…" Remus added as an afterthought.

"You got caught? And here I was thinking that my mates weren't totally hopeless without me!" James said, laughing a bit harder. Kat was glad to see that being back at school was already cheering him up.

Dinner was a normal affair for the most part. Eileen sauntered over to where they were sitting just as dessert was served and had a competition with Peter to see who could scoff down the most apple streusel. Kat tried her hardest to keep a smile on her face and was pleasantly surprised at how easy that became towards the end. After pudding she stretched and announced that she was leaving for bed. They guys said that they would be up in a few minutes. Eileen decided to join her. They started for the double doors when Lily ran up waving at them. She pulled Kat into a tight hug.

"Hey! I'm so glad you're back," she said breathlessly. "I love your hair by the way!"

"Thanks. It's good to be back," Kat said. She linked arms with Lily and Eileen and together they left the Great Hall.

"Hey, Catherine!" A deep voice called out.

"Oh, bloody hell," said Lily, trying her best to steer them away from the voice.

"Is that who I think it is?" Kat asked wearily as she saw someone tall, dark, and handsome hurry towards them. _How cliché…_

"Let's just ignore him, shall we?" Lily said desperately. She tugged on Kat's arm and Eileen started giggling.

"What is wrong with you, Lily?" Eileen giggled. "Why would you ever want to run from Amos Diggory?"

"It's just—"

Amos skidded to a stop in front of them, a crooked smile plastered on to his face. "Phew," he said. "I finally caught up with you! Mind if I talk to Kat for a second?"

"What?" Kat said.

"If there's something you want to say to Kat, you can say it in front of us," Lily said, putting her nose in the air. Eileen looked like she was having immense difficulty keeping from laughing straight into Diggory's face.

His smile faltered a bit and his eyes narrowed at Lily. But he said perfectly cool, "That's alright, then. So, Catherine," he turned to Kat. She leaned back from him a little wearily but that didn't stop him from leaning in closer. "Slughorn's party is coming up soon, right?"

"Er, yeah?"

"You want to go with me, right?"

Kat was stunned and didn't really know what to say. Eileen lost control of herself and started howling laughing. Even Kat managed a giggle and she practically heard Lily roll her eyes. "I do?" She asked incredulously.

"Ah, I knew it! I'll pick you up at eight on the evening of the party." He leaned even farther forward and planted a kiss on Kat's cheek before sauntering pompously away.

"What? Wait, Amos!" Kat yelled after him. "Amos! Shit." She dropped arms with her girlfriends and stared after the handsome Hufflepuff boy. "What just happened?" she asked weakly.

"I'm sorry, Kat," Lily said with a sigh. She linked arms with her again and they started off to the common room. "He practically ambushed me in the library earlier today with the stupid notion in his head that you would say yes when he asked you to Slughorn's party. That's why I was trying to get us out of the Great Hall. I didn't think you needed to be dealing with his garbage this close to…well, you know."

"Wait, so I just agreed to go to Slughorn's party with Amos Diggory?" Kat wondered aloud.

Eileen laughed heartily. "He certainly seems to think so."

"Great, just what I needed," Kat said, her delicate positive mood crumbling. She started to panic. "What am I supposed to do? I don't actually want to go to the party with him! I mean, what am I even supposed to do? I've never actually gone on a date…have I? Merlin, what just happened?"

"Relax, dear," Eileen said with immense sarcasm. "We'll figure something out to deal with pretty boy Diggory later."

Kat groaned and allowed Lily and Eileen to steer her up the staircase. James and Sirius caught up with the as they reached the seventh floor.

"What's wrong with her?" James asked Eileen when he saw the befuddled look on Kat's face.

Eileen snorted with laugher again. "She just accidently agreed to go to Slughorn's party with Amos Diggory!"

James stopped walking, his mouth dropping open in horror. "She didn't!" He grabbed Kat by the shoulders. "You didn't!"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what just happened!" Kat wailed, squeezing her eyes shut. She truly expected James to yell at her for being an idiot but he just laughed. It was the first time all week that he had actually laughed at something and it made her feel a bit better about herself. In any case, she stopped flailing her arms around in confusion and embarrassment.

"Nice one," Sirius said dryly, giving the Fat Lady the password and stepping into the portrait hole.

Kat ignored him and followed Lily through the portrait hole. She took the stairs two at a time and gratefully sank down on to her bed. Without meaning to, she started crying. Arabella was already in the dorm room and she hurried over to Kat and pulled her into a gentle hug. She didn't say anything, but started rocking back and forth, rubbing the small of Kat's back soothingly, letting Kat cry it out.

"I d-d-don't even know why I'm c-c-crying!" Kat wailed, trying desperately to pull herself together. She brushed impatiently at her tears. "I can't be weak like this I—"

"It's not weakness, dear," Arabella said softly.

"But I should be fine by now, right? It's been almost a week and—" Kat's heart constricted as she thought about what she had just said. She couldn't really get over the death of her parents in a week.

"You shouldn't be fine by now. You've lost two people who meant a lot to you." She sniffed and started crying too. "We've both lost someone. You aren't alone, sweetie. It does get a little better, in time, but it still hurts." Kat gave up on trying to hold herself together. She had been strong when she had forced James to eat when she herself touched nothing. She had been strong and resilient the day they put her parents in the ground, not shedding a tear and gripping James' hand tightly as the first lump of dirt landed on their coffins. She had been strong when the silence of the house threatened to overwhelm them all and she talked about meaningless drivel. She had been strong when she had walked into the Great Hall with her brother and Sirius, ignoring the whispers. But she didn't want to be strong anymore. She wanted to smother herself in Arabella's arms and shut out the world. Arabella's plump body was so comfortable and warm, even as Kat's tears stained Arabella's blouse.

"_Ouch!_" Eileen cursed and grabbed her toe. Kat and Arabella broke apart. "Kicked my bloody trunk."

"Maybe you should store it under the bed like the rest of us," Arabella said, wiping her eyes and getting up from Kat's bed.

"Hey! You're supposed to be the nice one!" Eileen whined, still clutching her toe. Arabella shrugged and disappeared into the bathroom.

The girls gave Kat some privacy that night. They spoke to her politely and asked if she needed anything. Kat assured them that if she needed anything she would let them know. As she crawled under her covers that night, she thought about Arabella. She had given Kat just what she needed. She wasn't alone, and she had friends who would help her through the difficult times ahead.

February snuck up on them and before they knew it, half of Hogwarts was coupling off together and walking down the hallways without seeing a couple snogging somewhere was a novelty. There was a Hogsmeade visit scheduled the day of Slughorn's party and Kat was reluctant to go. She had been dodging Amos every time she saw him in the hallways by ducking into bathrooms or empty classrooms. She started wishing that the Marauders would finish their map soon so she could use it to avoid him. In Hogsmeade though, she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid Diggory. She reluctantly let Eileen dress her in a tight blue sweater and dark jeans.

"You need to look delicious when you run into Diggory in Hogsmeade so he gets all tongue-tied around you. It'll be hilarious."

"Ha, ha O'Reiley. I'm really cracking up over here," Kat said. She scowled at herself in the mirror as Eileen planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"You look so good with short hair," she said happily.

Kat agreed with her. The decision to chop off all of her hair had been a rash one, but it was working out well for her.

Nearly a month had passed since the death of her parents, and Kat was slowly working through it. She was no longer as moody as James was and the ache in her chest had eased slightly and become more bearable. She was closer to coming to terms with their loss than she had been in weeks prior, but was nowhere near to being fully recovered. James wasn't fairing as well, and it stood to reason. He was picking fights with anyone he came in contact with these days and had ended up in detention at least half a dozen times for sending people to the Hospital Wing. Whenever anyone tried talking to him, they got the same biting response, "Up yours!" Most people had since stopped asking. James wasn't going to Hogsmeade today and claimed that he was going to spend the day catching up on Charms homework. Kat was wary about leaving him alone by himself, but Eileen had pushed her into going to the village.

"You could use some fresh air," she told Kat. "And this is going to be a girl's day out, so don't even think about meeting up with the boys."

So after Eileen finished putting on her makeup, she marched Kat down to the Great Hall for breakfast where Arabella, Lily, and Khristine were already seated at the table.

"Good morning," Khristine greeted them happily. Since her run in with Rudolphus and Bellatrix, Khristine had taken to hanging out more with the girls in the dorm. Her gorgeous blonde hair was slung over her shoulder in one long, careless braid and she was looking radiant in a crimson sweater.

"Morning," Eileen sang happily. Kat flung herself on to the bench in between Khristine and Arabella, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Won't you eat something this morning, Kat?" Arabella pleaded.

"I'm not hungry, Bella."

"Just some bacon and eggs," Lily said, dumping them on Kat's plate for her.

"Lil, not today." She wrinkled her nose and chased the eggs around with her fork. "I want to be able to try and enjoy Hogsmeade without dealing with an upset stomach."

"You hardly eat anymore, love," said Arabella. It was true. Kat had returned to a painfully thin weight, reminiscent of when she first escaped the Campbell basement, due to her near complete loss of appetite; only Lily or Remus could force her to eat food now.

"I'll stuff myself at breakfast tomorrow if I can survive Slughorn's party tonight with Diggory," Kat promised, taking a sip of coffee. The girls grumbled but agreed to her terms.

"I will force feed you myself," Lily warned her, shaking her head. Kat smiled at her and took another sip of coffee.

"So," said Arabella. "What are us girls doing today?"

"Well I need some new quills and ink," Kat said with a shrug.

"I wanted to pick up some chocolates for…someone," Arabella said, turning red.

"Oooh who's the lucky lad?" Eileen teased.

"They're not for a boy!"

"Oh, you didn't give up on Remus already, did you?" Lily wanted to know.

"No! No…I wanted to get something for Professor Prewett for Valentine's Day because he's just so good looking," Arabella said very quickly.

Eileen laughed uproariously. "I can't deny you that! Our Defense teacher is definitely hot!"

"Well you girls have fun in Hogsmeade," said Lily. "I'm staying here."

"Why aren't you coming?" asked Kat.

Lily shrugged. "It's cold outside," she said simply. "And besides, I have a lot of prefect duties that I've been ignoring recently and I want to get a head start on Slughorn's homework so I can talk to him about it tonight at the party."

Eileen rolled her eyes. "Only Lily Evans would think to do homework early so she can talk to the professor about it at a _party_ later."

Khristine giggled. "I am glad that this wisit is befoor Walentine's Day and not dooring."

Kat snorted. "I agree. I don't think I could deal with all of the stupid couples."

"Stupid couples? Aren't you going with Amos Diggory?" Arabella teased.

Kat punched her in the arm. "No, I'm not. He's just a stupid git who doesn't know how to talk to women." Arabella winced and rubbed her arm.

"More like he doesn't know when to leave people alone," Lily muttered. "Well," she said louder, "have fun today. Could one of you pick me up some Drooble's?"

"I'll get it," Arabella consented.

"Thanks," Lily beamed. "I'll be in the library all day so come and get me when you get back!" She slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed one more piece of toast, and walked out of the Great Hall.

The rest of the girls waited until Kat had finished her coffee and Eileen had devoured a ridiculously large stack of pancakes before setting out. They climbed into a carriage together and chatted about various things while it brought them down to the village. Kat did her best to ignore the thestral.

"So, where to first?" Kat asked after climbing down from the carriage and surveying the village. Already, hundreds of Hogwarts students were milling about, gazing in windows, throwing snowballs at each other, and a few (Kat could recognize the backs of their heads even from here) singing a lewd song about Valentine's Day.

"Let's get the boring stuff out of the way and pick up my quills," Arabella said, leading the way, her dirty blonde hair flying in the wind.

They entered the shop in single file through the tiny door and wandered amongst the shelves while Bella paid for her ink and quills. Kat was examining a pair of handsome eagle feather quills when she heard a familiar voice.

"Do you think she'll like this one? I think she will. It's almost the same color of her eyes and she writes a ton of stuff because sixth years have a lot of homework." A second voice agreed excitedly.

Kat stifled a groan and began dodging through the shelves to get as far away from the voice as she could. If she wasn't very much mistaken, Ernie Summers was planning on buying her a green quill. _How delightful…_Mercifully, Arabella had just picked the cheapest quills and ink she could ("I want to have enough money to stuff my pockets with sweets later!") and the girls were waiting for Kat outside.

"That was horrendous," Kat breathed when she exited.

"I tried not to take too long…" Arabella grimaced.

"Oh, no! Not that!" Kat said quickly, waving her hands. "I just heard Ernie Summers in there debating about what kind of quill to get me…I think he's settled on a green one."

Eileen laughed and linked arms with Kat, patting her hand sympathetically. "It's always a bummer when a younger bloke has the hots for you."

"I feel like I could deal with that. But I'm pretty sure he's obsessed with me." Kat shot a glance over her shoulder to make sure that Ernie hadn't spotted her or left the shop yet. But, apparently he was still debating which quill would be best.

"Well, why shouldn't he be?"

Kat scoffed. "You're being ridiculous. No one in the right mind should even like me."

"Don't be stupid!" Arabella and Khristine said in unison.

"You're nice, pretty," said Arabella.

"And smart," Khristine said.

"And don't forget your _great _personality," Eileen said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Don't forget crazy," Kat said, shaking her head. "And I'm not that smart—I'm failing Transfiguration now and nearly failing Herbology."

"Transfiguration I can get, but how can you be failing Herbology?" Eileen said, shaking her head.

"I dunno, but it's a dumb class and McGonagall has started to really scare me. And you forgot that I went crazy for a minute and chopped off all of my hair."

"But eet looks so good!" Khristine exclaimed, waving her hand to dismiss Kat's comment.

"In other words, you're wonderful and perfect," Eileen said, steering Kat over to a bench and forcing her to sit down. She crossed her arms. "Why are you so intent on denying it?"

"Because I'm not any of those things that you just said! I'm just some girl who had the luck to break into the right house when I was on the run. My biological parents were so ashamed of me that they locked me in a basement and now the parents who loved me are dead. My grades are falling, I've been rude to just about every person I've run in to since Christmas, I look like a twig because I don't eat anymore, and no one in their right mind should want anything to do with me because, with my luck, something bad will happen to them if they so much as talk to me." Kat covered her face with her hands after this outburst and tried to stop the wetness from forming at the back of her eyes. _Great. Brilliant job, Kat. Now they're going to laugh at you and leave. Everyone leaves. _

She felt heat on her right side and looked up to find Khristine sitting close to her. "No one ees perfect, Kat," she said, her blue eyes shining. "My father walked out on my muther and left 'er wit my seesters and I when we were wery small. Now we must deal wit all of 'er boyfriends."

Arabella sat down on Kat's other side. "Death Eaters killed my father. Now my mum has retreated to being this sort of shell of a woman and hardly talks to my brother and I anymore."

Eileen wrinkled her nose. "This is not what I planned on happening today," she said, but she sighed and squatted down in front of Kat until their faces were level. "There is nothing wrong with you Kat, we aren't going anywhere," she gestured at Khristine and Arabella who nodded emphatically. "No one is perfect."

Kat looked at the earnest faces around her and found that she still had to refute what they said. "Lily is," she mumbled.

Eileen laughed. "Now I know that you are James' sister. Lily Evans is just as imperfect as the rest of us, trust me." When Kat gave a disbelieving snort she continued. "Have you ever heard Lily talk about her family?"

"Of course I have," Kat said. "I met her parents over the summer."

"Then you'll know what a bitch her sister is," Eileen said seriously. "The slag is getting married to a nasty Muggle and Lily isn't even invited to the wedding. She treats Lily like dirt, but every time Lily sees her, she keeps trying to be friends with Petunia again, even though Petunia adamantly insists that she doesn't have a younger sister. Trust me," she said again. "Lily is not perfect." She stood up and grabbed Kat's wrists, pulling her to her feet. "Now c'mon, let's go buy enough chocolate to sink a ship!" And she promptly led Kat off to Honeyduke's with Arabella and Khristine trailing in her wake.

Just as the sixth year Gryffindor girls were strolling down the main lane of Hogsmeade on their way to Honeyduke's to pick up chocolate, Lily Evans was in the library hiding from the last person she had wanted to deal with.

Severus had shown up at around eleven o'clock or so and made a beeline for the table Lily had laid all of her books out on. Luckily, she had gotten distracted by the thought of Charms and had wandered off to that section in search of a good book to read. She peaked out from behind some bookshelves and saw Sev turning his head every which way, obviously looking for her. She cursed and delved deeper into the shelving labyrinth.

_Why does he have to be here now? _She thought miserably. She had honestly planned on conquering Professor Slughorn's homework, but her mind had started to wander and she thought about how wonderful Charms was and how much she and Professor Flitwick had in common. They both liked Charms, they were both good at it, they were both rather short…

"Bloody hell," Lily was jerked out of her thoughts by the sight of James Potter stomping up towards Severus. Her stomach did an annoying turn like it always did when she saw Potter these days, and Lily did what she always did and ignored it. She watched them through the shelves.

He had stopped shaving after his parents died and was looking significantly scruffy. One of his friends (she suspected it had been Remus) had finally convinced him to stop drinking so much fire whiskey, but that had done nothing to curb his temper. He was saying something very quietly to Severus under his breath and Lily saw Sev give him an angry retort. James' face twisted with fury and his hand plunged into his pocket, ready to hex the living daylights out of Snape, but his adversary was faster. His cast a spell at James which knocked him into the bookshelf Lily was hiding behind. Severus advanced on him, a snarl plastered across his face. The bookshelf started tilting dangerously and Lily dodged out of the way with a squeal.

_BAM, BAM, BAM! _Like dominoes, the bookshelves collided and fell, knocking into each other until nearly half of the library had been destroyed. There were several screams and moans from younger students who were unable to visit Hogsmeade or older students who had chosen to stay behind like Lily. Some were trapped under the bookshelves and others had darted just out of the way like Lily.

"L-Lily!" Severus said in surprise when he registered that she was standing there.

She ignored him and hurried over to where James was lying crumpled in a heap next to the first bookcase. He was out cold and there was a steady trickle of blood streaming from his mouth. "What the hell did you do to him?!" she said furiously. She pulled James into a sitting position and tapped the side of his face. "Potter? Potter? _James!_" There was no response. She looked at Severus, furious.

"What do you care about him for?" Sev said, disgusted. He took a step towards her, but Lily held up a hand.

"Don't come any closer," she warned him. "He just lost both of his parents, Sev. He doesn't know what he's doing."

"He always knows exactly what he's doing," he spat. "I don't know why you defend him, why you act like you're _friends_!"

"Potter and I aren't friends."

"Mmm…I thought we were, Evans," James said quietly. Startled, Lily looked down at the boy she cradled in her lap. His eyelids were fluttering behind his glasses and his face was deadly white.

"Potter—" she started.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF AGRIPPA HAVE YOU DONE TO MY LIBRARY, BOY?!" Madam Pince had extricated herself from the wreckage and was storming over to where the three of them were with an absolutely murderous look on her face. "OUT! GET OUT BEFORE YOU DO MORE DAMAGE AND I KILL YOU MYSELF!" She began throwing chunks from the destroyed bookshelves at them as she herded them out. Lily helped James unsteadily to his feet, shot an angry look at Snape, and carefully wound her way through the debris out of the library while dodging Pince's attacks. "AND DON'T THINK YOU'RE GETTING AWAY WITH THIS! I'LL HAVE A WORD WITH THE HEADS OF YOUR HOUSES AND THE HEADMASTER FOR THIS!" Madam Pince was practically foaming at the mouth by the time she chased them out.

"Lily," Snape began.

"I have nothing to say to you," Lily fumed. She turned her back on him, ignoring the half hurt, half furious look on her one time best friend's face, and starting dragging James, with difficulty, to the Hospital Wing.

They had traveled down the hall a bit before James said another word. "I'm fine, Evans. I can walk." He tried pulling away, but Lily kept her grip tight on him.

"Oh, no you don't, Potter," she seethed. "How could you be so stupid? You've probably just been banned from the library for the rest of your days, and you've been fighting—"

"Evans—"

"Don't you 'Evans' me!" Lily was in her stride now. Come hell or high water, she was going to give James Potter a piece of her mind. "You've been in this stupid…stupid _funk _for just about long enough, Potter."

"Funk?"

"Shut _up_. I didn't give you permission to talk! Keep walking!" She jabbed him hard in the side with her elbow. "All of your friends can put up with your crap, even some of the teachers can put up with your crap, but there is no way that _I _am going to put up with your crap anymore. I, for one, was looking forward to a day working on all of my school work," (she left out the part about getting distracted by Charms) "but then you show up in all of your pig-headed idiotness and ruin everything! There is no reason for you to be in such a horrible mood anymore and I order you to snap out of it!"

James shot her an amused expression through his pain. "You order me? You have got to be kidding me." He even had the nerve to laugh. Lily felt her anger swell even higher. "You can't order me to do anything."

"Of course I can!" Lily snapped back. "I'm a prefect, James Potter, and I can give you detentions until you are old and gray!"

"I would love to see you try," James shot back.

"FINE!" she shouted. She dropped her supporting arm from across James' back and dropped him unceremoniously to the ground. "Make your own way to the bloody Hospital Wing then!" She started to stomp away.

"I knew you wouldn't give me detention until I was old and gray," James called after her.

Lily made it just around the corner before her conscious started catching up with her. She couldn't just leave Potter lying in the middle of the corridor bleeding like that, could she? _Of course I can. He's a prat, _she told herself, but her conscious disagreed with her. So, even angrier than she was to begin with, if that was even possible, she stomped back around the corner.

James hadn't moved far from where she had deposited him. In fact, he was now lying flat on his back with his eyes closed humming quietly to himself. He looked up at the sound of her approaching footsteps and seemed surprised to see her. Lily stopped in her tracks, taken aback by the forsaken look in his eye that disappeared almost as soon as she saw it.

"Why are you humming?" She snapped, uncertain.

"Because it calms me down," he answered.

Lily rolled her eyes. _He is so weird_, she tried telling herself, but she also agreed with him. Sometimes she would hum or sing under her breath when she was taking a hard exam and she would do better. "C'mon, get up," she grabbed an arm and tried to drag him up.

"Where are we going?" he said in the tone of a four-year-old child.

"To the Hospital Wing, of course."

"I knew you couldn't stay away from me," he said with a crooked grin.

"Shut up and start walking."

"I'll see pick you up tonight in the Entrance Hall!" Amos Diggory called after her as Kat sat down heavily at the Gryffindor table, laden with bags stuffed with sweets. She waved halfheartedly back at him.

"Today was fun," Arabella sighed, contentedly as she sat on the other side of Kat and started serving them all portions of Shepard's pie.

"Hey, did you guys hear about someone destroying half of the library?" Eileen said with excitement. "Maybe the teachers will take pity on us poor students and stop assigning so much homework."

"I seriously doubt it," Lily said in greeting as she sat next to Eileen. "I was there when it happened."

"Ooh, really?" said Khristine, her big blue eyes lighting up.

Lily rolled her eyes before regaling them with the tale of the library's destruction. Eileen let out a low whistle when she finished her story.

"I don't think I'll get into any trouble," Lily said with a shrug. "And if Dumbledore wants to talk to me, I'll tell him the truth."

"You realize that that would be protecting my brother, right?" Kat said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it means that I'm telling the truth and proving myself a worthy prefect." Lily stuffed a spoonful of pie into her mouth to save herself from having to say anything else.

"You need to go get ready anyway!" Eileen announced, trying to shoo Kat and Lily away from the table. "Don't worry about dinner! Slughorn will have tons of food!"

"But I—"

"Oh, hush Kat. Lily has to make you pretty for the party."

"Eileen—"

"I won't take no for an answer, Lil!" To prove her point, she took Kat and Lily's plates and dumped all of the food onto her own plate. "Be gone from the table!"

"Fine!" Kat rose grudgingly from the table. "If the food sucks I'm going to jinx all of your close invisible," she threatened.

The crazy brunette merely grinned. "Well, then things will be much more interesting around here!"

Lily grabbed a pair of rolls from the table before Eileen could stop her and ran out of the Hall. Kat followed.

"Here," Lily said as they waited for the stairs to stop moving. She handed Kat one of the rolls before tearing one apart herself.

"She's scary," Kat said with an overly dramatized shudder.

"Once she gets going, she doesn't stop," Lily stated in agreement. "So how was Hogsmeade?"

Kat told her about the surprisingly uneventful day. With the exception of avoiding Ernie Summers in the quill shop and a small incident in which Eileen had bewitched some snowballs to follow Diggory, the day was as normal as a girl could ask for. _I suppose that's going to change tonight, _Kat thought rather gloomily.

Kat ended up borrowing (without asking "We'll just tell her about it later!" Lily reassured her) one of Khristine's fancy gold shimmery dresses since she was now closest in size to Kat. It was a little loose in the chest department, but Kat thought that she looked rather good in it. She wore it with the set of pearls she had received for Christmas from her parents. Lily had opted for a nice, plain black dress that made her hair look even redder than normal.

"Let's get this over with," said Kat, unable to control the smile that was tugging at her lips.

"Remember to have fun," Lily sang, linking arms with Kat and together they sauntered out of the dorm.

Remus was playing Wizard's chess with Peter at one of the tables by the window with Sirius looking out the window, leaning back in his chair and perched on two legs. The other two fell to the ground with a loud _smack _when Lily and Kat walked by. Remus and Peter stopped playing to watch the two of them walk by. Kat ignored the three of them and held her nose in the air as she sashayed by. Lily giggled at the looks on their faces and waggled her fingers in a little wave.

"Looking good, Evans!" Sirius said appreciatively with a smirk.

"I always look good, Black," Lily said, pausing and pulling Kat to a halt. "And what about Kat? Doesn't she look nice too?"

Sirius gazed at Kat coolly before replying. "Yeah, she looks good too." He rocked back on the back legs of his chair and went back to looking out of the window.

"I think she looks nice too," Peter said in a stage whisper, giving Kat a large wink. She smiled at him.

Trying not to feel disappointed about Sirius' reaction, Kat said good-bye to Remus and Peter and pulled Lily out of the common room, ignoring the appreciative glances from the few guys they passed and the curious glances of the girls.

"Quit fishing for compliments for me!" she said, mortified.

"What? He was being a prat for totally ignoring you! I had to do something!"

"Lily, just stop. Please," Kat pleaded. The last thing she needed was for Sirius to think that she had feelings for him. _Because I don't, okay? Okay? O…kay…? Right?! _She shoved the thought to the back of her mind.

"Oh, alright," Lily said in defeat.

They made their way to the staircase but had to wait for it to change to a position in which they could actually step on to it. It wasn't empty when it came up though. James was standing at the top of it with his hands stuffed in his pockets, staring at his trainers. He looked up in surprise when he saw Kat and Lily standing there waiting.

"Hey, Jay," Kat said warmly, hoping that he was in a good mood.

"Hey," he said tonelessly. He stepped off the staircase and walked by them. "You look…nice, sis. Don't stay out too late, y'hear?" He called over his shoulder.

Kat stared after him. "Well that was weird."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never seen him pass up a chance to hit on you is all." Much to her surprise, Lily blushed. "What? Oh my God, _did something happen?_"

"Well…"

"Lily!"

"No, not like you're thinking anyway."

"So something _did _happen?" Kat's eyes widened in shock. "Well you have to tell me now!"

"Okay, okay," Lily said, stepping on to the stairs and starting to walk down. Kat followed and Lily continued in a low voice. "So remember how I said I just dropped him off at the Hospital Wing and left him there?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, that's not really all that happened…"

"What have you done this time, Mister Potter?" Madam Pomfrey wanted to know when Lily opened the door to the Hospital Wing a few hours earlier.

"Someone attacked him in the library," Lily said, leading James over to the closest bed. _He is heavy! _

"Why am I surprised? I heard Madam Pince raving from all the way over here. I'll be with you in a moment." She bustled over to where a girl was lying on a bed, her skin tinted a pale shade of orange.

"I'll just be going now…" Lily said as she extracted James from around her.

"Not so fast, Miss Evans," Madam Pomfrey warned. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened so I know what to do with him."

Lily let out an exasperated sigh, but obediently sat in the chair next to the bed she had deposited James on.

"Don't worry about it, Evans. I'm excellent company." James shot her a rather lopsided grin and she began to worry that whatever Severus had hexed him with had addled his brain.

They had been sitting in silence for several awkward moments while Lily tried to sort through the thoughts that were raging through her head. She was perfectly confident that she could get herself out of any trouble with the library, and if she was lucky, James too. He hadn't actually done anything, just said, she was sure, some nasty things to Severus. Severus, on the other hand, was in danger of facing some serious consequences for destroying half of the library. She was certain that no matter what she said, Sev would be punished, and part of her was positively reveling in the fact. Finally! He would get some sort of pay back for the way he had treated her last year, but then another part of her was disappointed that he had stooped down to Potter's level and threw the first punch.

"What did you say to Severus?" she asked, her lips forming the words before she had a chance to stop them.

James looked up at her in surprise, but said, with the same uneven smile, "I asked him what in the world a slimy git like him was doing in a clean and respectable place in the library."

_Oh, brilliant, _thought Lily.

"He said he was looking for some book, but I didn't believe him. I knew that he was looking for you and that you didn't want to talk to him after all of those nasty things he said to you last year. It really upsets you every time he's around, I've noticed."

Lily was frankly surprised that he was being so open and honest with her, but she figured that a lot of it had to do with the effects Severus' curse had wrought upon him.

"Anyway, he said something really nasty that I won't repeat, so I pulled out my wand to hex him but he got me first." He scowled.

"Well it's probably best that you didn't attack him first. This way you have some sort of defense," Lily said reasonably. "Even if he said some really bad stuff—"

"I couldn't let him insult you like that, Lily," James said, deadly serious. "I could never let anyone talk about you like that."

Lily felt the color rush to her face and did her best to suppress it. "Yeah well—"

"Alright, Potter! Let's take a look at you!" Madam Pomfrey swooped down on James and asked Lily to tell her what had happened. A few minutes later, James was given an order not to leave the Hospital Wing until after dinner and Lily was excused.

"Um, I still don't get what happened," Kat said, confused. "He complimented you just like he always does." They had reached the Entrance Hall and Kat was skulking in the corner, hoping against hope that Amos Diggory would decide not to go to the party after all.

"Yes," Lily said, grabbing Kat's arm and pulling her farther into the corner. "But I didn't refute it, and I was actually really touched about what he said."

Kat surveyed Lily's face. Her friend was staring at her with wide eyes obviously waiting for Kat to tell her what to do. Kat should have known that this would happen sooner or later. It was really only a matter of time before Lily fell for James. They would be absolutely perfect for each other and everyone could see it except for Lily. "Listen, Lily—"

"Catherine! There you are! Woah, you look fantastic!" Amos had arrived and he quickly made a beeline and tucked his arm around Kat's waist. He was dressed in black dress robes that made him look very handsome. Kat repressed the impulse to cringe and roll her eyes. She managed a sort of helpless wave before Amos started to steer her down towards the dungeons. "I hope Slughorn hasn't gone completely overboard with his decorations this time. Do you remember last year when he had everything pink?"

"Er—"

"I mean, it _was _Valentine's Day and all, but enough is enough, am I right?"

"Er—"

"But never mind. I'm hoping that he's got some people from the Ministry again, so I can ask them all of the questions I have. When I graduate I want to do to work for the Ministry, did you know that?" He kept up a constant stream of chatter and didn't stop long enough for Kat to put in a comment. After a while, she stopped trying.

Professor Slughorn had indeed gone over the top with his decorations again and everything was covered in various shades of pink, from the streamers hanging from the ceiling down to the tiny pieces of confetti that littered the tables that had been set up around the room. A choir of wood nymphs was singing in the corner and a dance floor had been set aside. The room was already crowded by the time Kat and Amos entered with Lily following behind them.

It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Kat found that if she just fixed a smile on her face, Diggory was perfectly happy and seemed to think that she was enjoying herself. He kept a tight grip on her waist as he dragged her around to various people in the room, but did all the talking, leaving Kat's mind able to wander and think about various things. She thought about her visit to Hogsmeade that day, her failing grades in Transfiguration and Herbology, the look on Sirius, Remus, and Peter's faces when she and Lily had come down the dormitory stairs early that evening, how her feet were feeling in the shoes she was wearing…

"Let's dance, shall we?" Amos announced, pulling her toward the dance floor.

"Um, I've never danced before," Kat protested slightly, but he paid her no heed.

It wasn't too bad. They sort of just rocked back and forth amidst all of the other couples dancing on the dance floor. Kat saw Lily dancing with Frank and Alice off to the side and sent her oh-please-please-please-rescue-me waves but Lily's telepathic receptors appeared to be offline for the night. Kat resigned herself to more awkward rotating while Amos continued to chat incessantly. Salvation came when he asked her if she wanted something to drink.

"Yes, please," Kat said, trying hard not to sound too relieved when he finally let go of her. He left in search of the drink table and Kat wandered over to where Lily was discussing their most recent homework assignment with Professor Slughorn.

"It really was easy," Lily was saying to a delighted Slughorn. "Are we going to be making Amortentia? Is that why you had us write such a long paper on it, Professor?"

"Oh ho, Miss Evans. I can't go giving away all of my secrets now! Even to someone like you," he chuckled good-naturedly. He gave a comical start when Kat showed up. "Ah, I'm glad to see you here, Miss Potter!"

"I've only just away from Diggory," Kat said, glancing over her shoulder to see if he had found drinks yet. She was relieved to see that he was now deep in conversation with a woman wearing purple robes with an intricate silver _M _embroidered on the front.

"Oh, Mister Diggory isn't all that bad," Slughorn positively boomed. Kat winced and looked over her shoulder again, but Amos was oblivious.

"I wouldn't say that, Professor. But I do have to say that I'm happy he talks so much, this way I don't have to say anything."

"I was under the impression my dear and, correct me if I'm wrong, that you rather liked the boy," Slughorn said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I mean, after all, you came here tonight with him, didn't you?"

Lily did a horrible job covering up a snort. "She didn't do it on purpose."

"Oh?"

"He confronted her right after she got back to school and didn't even give her the opportunity to turn him down."

"Oh," he adopted a pained expression that made Kat start giggling. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright, Professor," Kat giggled. "After tonight I won't have to deal with him again. Besides, he seems perfectly happy talking to that witch over there."

Slughorn followed her gesture to the woman in the purple robes. "Ah, yes. He has an eye for the Ministry, then?" He winked at the girls. "I'll fix it so that you can enjoy the rest of your evening, Miss Potter. And I am terribly sorry to hear about your parents." Kat accepted his condolences with a nod and Slughorn excused himself, sauntering over to where Amos Diggory was talking with the Ministry of Magic witch and embedding himself in the conversation.

"Soo…" said Lily. "Want to dance?" She held out her arm.

"Of course, Miss Evans," Kat said, taking the offered arm. They waltzed rather outrageously around the dance floor together, cutting a wide path through the close couples.

"I don't know why I ever bother with these parties," Lily confided. "I always end up feeling so awkward and out of place." She didn't need to specify that this was due to the couples around them getting rather handsy or Slughorn and his guests' laughter booming out at increasingly high decibel levels due to the amount of alcohol they were consuming.

"I don't know why I let you drag me to them."

"I do it so that you can share my misery, so ha ha ha," Lily said sarcastically as they passed a snogging couple. "You'll always be my plus one to things like this, even if you accidently get roped into going with someone again."

"Do you think he would notice if we left?"

Lily glanced over Kat's shoulder as they rotated. "I doubt it."

"Okay, good. My feet are killing me."

Kat led the way out of the dungeon. Their heels clicked loudly against the stone floor as they followed the corridor up to the Entrance Hall. The torches cast flickering shadows on the walls as they passed by. Uncomfortably remembering the last time that they had been wandering the castle after one of Slughorn's parties, Kat hurried her pace. Lily followed suit without saying anything.

Mercifully, they did not encounter any messages on the wall, threatening Muggleborns or any other suspicious activity until they were almost at Gryffindor tower. Kat had just illuminated the tip of her wand to light a dark passage behind a tapestry when she stopped in her tracks at the spectacle in front of her.

Eileen was in the midst of a passionate snogging session, her arms locked around a tall, thin boy with dark hair that stuck up at every which way. James' hands were wandering around every curve of her body and Eileen looked like she was going to start doing some exploring of her own. The two of them sprung apart when they saw the wand light.

Kat froze. _Bugger. What the hell am I supposed to do?! _She stared at her brother and Eileen, waiting for one of them to say something, anything. James stuffed one hand in his pocket and wrapped his arm back around Eileen's waist, staring coolly at Lily and Kat. Kat involuntarily glanced to her left at Lily. She appeared to be in the same state of shock that Kat was. Her eyes were wide and mouth slightly open.

"Um, well, erm we uh…" Kat tried to say something desperately as the embarrassment slowly caught up with her. "Hi." She said lamely.

"Hi," James said almost defiantly, like he was daring Kat to judge him. Eileen's eyes were fixed on the floor.

"Um, we'll just ah, go?" Kat said weakly, grabbing Lily's arm and pulling her around the pair. She sped up after she passed them, desperate to vacate the premise. She could feel Lily start to recover when she began struggling against her viselike grip.

She gave the Fat Lady the password, pulled Lily in through the portrait hole behind her and collapsed on the couch. "That was the most awkward thing I've ever seen in my entire life."

Lily looked like she was struggling through multiple emotions at once. "I'm going to bed," she snapped finally, leaving Kat alone sitting on the couch.

Kat let out a heavy sigh and stared at the ceiling. There are just some things that you cannot un-see, and one of them is seeing your brother sucking face with one of your roommates. The portrait hole opened a few minutes later and Eileen entered looking rather sheepish. It was an expression Kat didn't usually see the girl wear.

"Hey," Eileen said, uncertainly sitting down on the couch next to Kat. "Erm, about that—"

"Where's James?"

"Oh, he decided to go for a walk after…after we finished. Listen—"

Kat held up her hand. "I'm glad that someone is trying to cheer him up. But listen to me when I tell you this, James has no future plans with you, alright? You know as well as I do that he's practically meant for Lily and this is just a stage that he's going through."

"I know," Eileen gushed. "It just sort of happened one day. I don't really know how, and now we've been meeting up every night after everyone else has already gone up to bed and—"

"I don't want to know the details!" Kat said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples, her forehead creased. "Just please, don't freak out if he suddenly doesn't want you one night. He's an idiot. I thought you would know that by now."

"I know what I'm getting into, Kat. You don't need to warn me. I just want to be there for James—"

"Yeah, okay, whatever," Kat said, rising from the couch, a touch of anger in her voice. "But remember that one of your very good friends has some very mixed up feelings about the bloke that you're sneaking out every night trying to shag."

"We haven't—"

"Good night, Eileen." Kat left.

* * *

**_Much happier than last chapter, eh? I hope it depressed you less..._**

**_Reviews are the corgis to the Queen!_**

**_~neelie415_**


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